According to the official page for Northern Virginia's HQ2 bid, National Landing was jointly carved out by Arlington and Alexandria for Amazon's second headquarters.
The newly-defined neighborhoodencompasses Crystal City, the eastern portion of Pentagon City, and the northern portion of Potomac Yard.
Let's take a look at what National Landing looks like today and envision what it could morph into in the next few decades.
Crystal City and the areas of Pentagon City and Potomac Yard that make up National Landing already have office space, housing, recreational space, three metro stations with commuter-rail access, and the Reagan National Airport all within a mile radius.
And there are plans to add to the existing environment and infrastructure.
Local developer JBG Smith plans to kick-start several of its unfinished projects in the area ...
... including a 130,000-square-foot shopping and entertainment space known as Central District Retail ...
... and an entertainment district anchored by a 49,000-square-foot theater called the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
JBG Smith has also given Amazon exclusive rights to purchase some of its land and lease space in several of its buildings.
As you walk through Crystal City and Pentagon City, you can already see that the area is changing.
And when all is said and done, the new neighborhood carved out by Amazon could look and feel very different from whats there right now.
JBG Smith has investment plans to build a pedestrian bridge from National Landing directly to the Reagan National Airport.
Currently, a car-only bridge provides traffic direct access from the airport to the Crystal City and Pentagon City area.
In order to access this bridge, drivers must exit the major highway I-395 vessel that connects Washington D.C. to Virginia onto Route 1.
The government has already provided the city with funding to make the neighborhood accessible to all forms of transportation, and at the moment there is plenty of parking for residents and commuters alike.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which operates the second largest heavy rail transit system and the sixth largest bus network in the U.S., provides the area with rail and bus service.
Through this system, commuters can reach various parts of the Washington metropolitan area, including parts of Maryland and Virginia.
One of the bus lines has a route directly through the entire Crystal City area, leading south to the Alexandria Old Town Historic district.
In the future, the city will see additional entrances to its Metro stations at Crystal City and Potomac Yard.
As an alternative, some commuters opt to ride scooters or motorcycles to save on gas costs and time on the train.
Almost 400,000 rental apartments, condos, townhouses, and houses are located within a five-mile radius of National Landing, and there are 40,000 more in the pipeline.
The area serves both commuters and residents alike, who can take advantage of a mall, shops, and food offerings in the area like ...
... Starbucks, an essential for corporate officer workers ...
... local food vendors ...
... fast food chains ...
... and fine dining restaurants.
Currently, only two blocks contain all of the food and entertainment options that Crystal City has to offer within walking distance of the neighborhood.
Youll see the bulk of the foot traffic during the lunch hour.
The area seems to cater specifically to people that work in the area.
Already, National Landing has multiple high-rise corporate buildings, and more are set to be built in the next ten years.
Amazon will rent out 500,000 square feet of office space for its incoming employees, so foot traffic will likely increase.
Pedestrians can take in some art while they walk
On various boxy structures, you can see massive painting installations ...
that are visible from multiple angles.
Walls throughout the area are painted with bright colors and organic shapes.
Some are more vibrant than others, and none seem to coincide with a theme that matches the usage of the building.
Over the years, multiple artists have created artwork for Crystal City to make its largely concrete buildings feel more welcoming.
You also can find other art installations around the city, like these blue, stick-like pieces.
And you can also take in the views from the chairs and benches throughout the area.
There are various recreational spaces featuring brightly colored chairs amongst the courtyards in between the shopping area and the corporate buildings.
Parallel to National Landing, you can take in views of the city from George Washington Parkway.
Alongside the parkway is a major commuter and recreational trail, Mt. Vernon Trail, that also runs alongside the Potomac River.
Gravelly Point is the name of the parking lot where people park to access this recreational area along the Potomac and watch the airplanes take off the runway.
And National Landing doesnt just boast easy access to Washington D.C. the view of D.C. from the park is also pretty nice.
JBG Smith Properties has plans to create additional recreational spaces that will be free for the public to use.
National Landing is the largest walkable downtown in Virginia.
But, when you start to walk south of Crystal City towards the end of the National Landing area, the amount of people walking around begins to decrease.
On the opposite side of Route 1 there are factories and large warehouses.
Multiple hotels like the Hyatt Regency are on these southern blocks due to their convenient location across from the airport.
In juxtaposition to the bustling lunch hour two blocks away, these streets feel more isolated.
You would only see a group or person walk by sporadically.
But local authorities hope to change that with the developments coming to the area.
"It has long been a goal of the area to have a more unified downtown," Tracy Gabriel, Crystal City Business Improvement Districts president and executive Director, wrote in a press release following the Amazon HQ2 announcement.
From the hotels you can already see the construction of luxury residential complexes.
The dozens of complexes currently under construction will now have guaranteed occupation of their high rises, thanks to Amazons move to National Landing.
And because of the amount of development that will go into National Landing, current residents can expect to see more construction cranes in the future.
SEE ALSO: We walked around Long Island City, the New York neighborhood where Amazon is planning to bring HQ2, and saw why it'd be appealing to the e-commerce giant
DON'T MISS: Photos show what a nightmare it already is to get around Long Island City, Amazon's new HQ2 headquarters
