In his recent Virginian Pilot Op-Ed piece, “A Vital Spinoff from JFCOM”, Jack Ezzell pointed out many of Hampton Roads’ strengths in the area of modeling and simulation.  He defined modeling and simulation as:

“Modeling and simulation refers to the process of developing a mathematical model of a real-world process, such as the flow of containers through a port facility and solving the model under different conditions. The information extracted from the model can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the real-world process and increase efficiency and profitability.”

This excellent example from the economically critical ports extends to traffic and transportation analysis.  Still other current modeling and simulation applications that should be of interest to Hampton Roads’ citizens include tidal level predictions for hurricanes and nor’easters being developed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William & Mary (VIMS); innovative designs for aircraft carrier landing systems at Northrop-Grumman Newport News (NGNN); design and development at NASA Langley Research Center (NASA-LARC), of launch pad abort systems to save astronauts’ lives in the event of a rocket anomaly during launch; design of particle accelerators and instrumentation at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab); a “virtual stethoscope”, developed at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in collaboration with Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center (VMASC), as a training device that simulates the sounds of the human body’s circulatory and respiratory systems;  and many, many others.

While modeling and simulation only approximates real-world behaviors and does not simply replace physical experiments, it does allow for extensive insights into system behaviors where full scale experimentation is not possible such as with hurricanes, or where experiments might involve human safety such as possible changes to the air traffic control system to allow the integration of drones with piloted aircraft, or are too expensive such as with NASA’s pioneering missions aimed at landing scientific instruments on other planets in the solar system.  We know that hurricane prediction is not perfect, but with the data collected and analyzed from each unique storm, scientists improve the mathematical models making predictions for the next storms better.  So it is not only the capabilities of modeling and simulation, but also the implications and limits of the model used that today’s student must learn.

What has allowed for this recent explosion of
modeling and simulation applications?

The past decade in computer and software advances – greatly increased memory and computational speed at substantially lowered cost – has made the development and exercising of such mathematical models part of the standard toolbox for today’s business people, scientists and engineers and, now, is even accessible to students in all grades K-12.  In addition to the analysis of mathematical models, the industrial applications of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) have also become accessible to our middle and high school students in curricula programs such as Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a four-year turn-key engineering curriculum led in Virginia out of ODU’s Batten School of Engineering; and extra-curricula activities such as “F1 (Formula One) in Schools”, in which open-wheel race car models are designed and fabricated using CAD/CAM software/hardware.  Even a K-5 primer on the principles of modeling and simulation, “The Shape of Change”, is available at www.clexchange.org.   This book, written by two Massachusetts elementary school teachers provides classroom activities that demonstrate such system dynamic behaviors fundamental to modeling and simulation, as mammoth herd extinction, deforestation, and disease-spread.

These broad applications often tie together the previously disparate areas of theory-based K-12 math, science, social studies, and health with the hands-on K-12 area of CTE (Career and Technical Education) – formerly known as vocational or technical education.

The Commonwealth of Virginia and, particularly, Hampton Roads is actively engaged in growing our K-12 students’ knowledge of modeling and simulation.  A few selected examples:

• In its recent 2010 revision of Science Standards of Learning (SOL), the Virginia State Board of Education added modeling and simulation as a required skill in the laboratory investigation objective (grade 6, life science, physical science, biology, chemistry, and physics) for virtually all middle and high school science students in Virginia.
• In a collaboration between the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) and Virginia Beach Public Schools, Ocean Lakes High School science and math teachers have developed and piloted cross-discipline modeling and simulation curriculum that is now being spread throughout the region.
• NASA Langley Research Center in collaboration with Old Dominion University and VMASC has provided workshops led by national leaders in K-12 modeling and simulation to teachers from throughout Hampton Roads and as far west as Charlottesville.
• The Virginia Governor’s Academy at Pruden Center in Suffolk in collaboration with Tidewater Community College, provides regional instruction in CAD/CAM, including rapid prototype fabrication for high school students. READ THE STORY
• NASA Langley has provided modeling and simulation training to teachers from schools throughout Hampton Roads including Title 1 schools such as Campostella Elementary School in Norfolk and the Achievable Dream Academy in Newport News.

These are just a few of the actively growing K-12 modeling and simulation initiatives in the Commonwealth and Hampton Roads.  As curricula have developed, discussions are now starting to center around embedding K-12 teachers in industry during the summers so that they may experience first-hand applications of modeling and simulation at the real-world high tech work places in Hampton Roads.  This cross-training is aimed at enabling teachers to further develop a modeling and simulation curriculum that is both relevant and contemporary to prepare our 21^st century citizens for success in the globally competitive economic realities of their world.

Photo caption:  Kids don’t question, they just flow, which is why they are often experts on computers. It seems to indicate that it is not so much the technical skills but the ability to creatively explore that gets them there. Taken at MacWorld EXPO 2007, Moscone Center, San Francisco.

Photo credit:  David Pham on Flickr

The Virginia Beach Crime Prevention Steering Committee was established in 1977 to act as an advocate for community participation in crime prevention as well as to support and advise the Virginia Beach Police Department with community concerns regarding crime.  Each year the Steering Committee has honored individuals, community organizations and businesses that exemplified the values and mission of the Virginia Beach Crime Prevention Steering Committee. Nominations are being sought for this year’s awards, i.e., activities that occurred during the past twelve months.

Award categories are:

• Private Industry Award – Presented to a local business that has advanced crime prevention within the business community or within the community at-large. The nominee must be a for-profit business operating in Virginia Beach.
• Community Organization Award – Presented to a not-for-profit community organization that has actively promoted, developed and participated in crime prevention activities that have enhanced the quality of life in their community.
• Citizen Award – Presented to a resident of Virginia Beach, who has demonstrated a passion for making a difference in the community using crime prevention initiatives and activities.
• Youth Award – Presented to a youth, between 13 and 18, who has participated in crime prevention activities and programs, which have positively impacted the lives of others in Virginia Beach.
• Law Enforcement Award – Presented to a law enforcement official who has engaged in exceptional work while in the performance their assigned duties. Their work must have taken place in Virginia Beach. Recipients may be a sworn law enforcement official from a local, state or federal agency.
• Volunteer Award – Presented to a citizen who volunteers with the Virginia Beach Police Department and has participated in and/or promoted crime prevention activities and programs which have positively impacted the Virginia Beach community.

The Committee believes that by recognizing others for their achievements,  the community will be a safer place. For more information or to submit a nomination, please contact MPO Jim McElligott at (757) 385-1330 or jmcellig@vbgov.com or e-mail the Awards Committee Chairperson Bernadette Matson at bmatson@live.com. The nomination forms must be received by 5 PM on September 17, 2010.

The Committee’s website is: http://www.vbgov.com/crimepreventionsteeringcommittee

Click HERE for a complete Hampton Roads Resource Page on Joint Forces Command with links to organizations such as the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, local and state resources such as Congressman Forbes webpage, regional strategies such as Vision Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Modeling and Simulation Strategy 2020, events such as MODSIM World 2010, JFCOM news and more…

On 8-9-10, Secretary of Defense Gates recommended closure of Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), headquartered in Hampton Roads. JFCOM develops and employs modeling and simulation tools, the centerpiece of joint training. Modeling and Simulation (M&S) refers to the process of developing a mathematical model of a real world process, such as the flow of containers through a port facility, and solving the model under different conditions. The information extracted from the model can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the real world process and increase efficiency and profitability.

M&S is not a military-only tool.

Regardless of the outcome of Sec. Gates’ recommendation, the region-wide comprehensive economic development strategy, Vision Hampton Roads, has a structure already in place to coordinate existing and future efforts to grow the M&S community in Hampton Roads.

Hampton Roads is one of the country’s three leading regions in M&S along with Orlando, FL and Huntsville, AL. The unique strength in the Hampton Roads region is in three areas:

1. M&S education from high school through PhD. The Hampton Roads region is the only place you will find that continuum of M&S education.
2. Training. Significant expertise exists in how to employ M&S to perform all types of training from the military to medical and healthcare.
3. Decision support command and control. The Hampton Roads region is set apart by its expertise in employing M&S to analyze complex problems and to help individuals or groups make better decisions because of the insight they gain from the models.

The Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) at Old Dominion University is a key contributor to this sector of the economy with the past help of JFCOM.

The following are on-going M&S diversification efforts in the region that deserve to be championed and supported:

• MODSIM World Conference & Expo, now in its fourth year and franchised in Canada, has seen a 25% annual growth and focuses on promoting M&S activity outside of DoD, encouraging the transfer of technology and information across domains.
• Senator Mark Warner’s M&S Taskforce has put a special focus on medical M&S for 2011.
• Hampton Roads M&S Strategy 2020 pays special attention to entrepreneurship, commercialization, research and development, expanding into new markets, educational linkages and leveraging unique assets.  The Strategy is designed to capitalize on, not rely on, existing DoD M&S work to expand and grow the industry base in Hampton Roads.
• Hampton Roads M&S Leadership Council was developed to coordinate the implementation of the M&S Strategy 2020 and has taken active steps to operate in-line with Vision Hampton Roads.
• Vision Hampton Roads specifically includes M&S as a cluster which deserves attention and support to continue its growth in the region as it presents tremendous opportunity to diversify the economy while providing clean, high-paying jobs.

A 2007 technology survey identified over 2,000 direct M&S jobs paying an average of $82,733 per year (more than double the region’s average salary) spread throughout the region, with nearly 60% on the Peninsula and 40% on the Southside. Although strongly supported by the military, jobs have expanded to transportation, port operations, education and the medical world.

The survey also noted many M&S research strengths in the region: ODU, Eastern VA Medical School, Hampton University, National Institute of Aeronautics, NASA Langley Research Center, Jefferson Lab, Norfolk State University and Christopher Newport University.

And, according to Virginia’s Economic Development Partnership, Virginia’s M&S industry employs 11,500 people in the private sector while government and military is estimated at another 2,900 people. The top two regions by employment are Northern Virginia (5,900) and Hampton Roads (5,200) and account for 97% of all M&S employment in Virginia.

So what is the region’s next step? Focus M&S efforts with the existing region-wide strategic plan already in place led by the Vision Hampton Roads Innovation Task Force (Dr. Joe Bouchard, Lead) and the Hampton Roads M&S Leadership Council (VMASC’s Dr. John Sokolowski, Chair) which aligns with designated community leaders in specific areas of interest (ex: higher education, healthcare) for implementation of Vision’s strategic actions.

Engage directly with the M&S community and learn more by attending the MODSIM World Conference and Expo, October 13-15, 2010, at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, http://ModSimWorldConference.com.

Ten professional leaders and top level executives in our community have volunteered once again to present a seminar from their respective expertise. It is a fantastic series for a very low cost that is aimed at those in our community exploring the idea of doing business with the government (especially the DoD). At the Seminars you’ll learn Strategic Planning, Marketing, Proposal Development, Contract Performance, Contract Administration and Accounting, Government Customer Expectations, Subcontracting with Prime Contractors, Profitability and Administration, Employee Relations and Small Business Resources.

Classes are held at the Peninsula Workforce Development Center, 600 Butler Farm Road, Hampton, VA on Tuesdays, September 14 – November 16, 2010 from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. Participants will receive an official certificate of completion from Thomas Nelson Community College and 2.0 Continuing Education Units.

“I very strongly recommend this seminar. For a small investment in time and cost, it provides a unique opportunity to be exposed to the full spectrum of the business environment for contractors operating in the defense and homeland security marketplace, crossing all functional lines.” — Harry Train, Admiral, U.S. Navy (ret.)

“As I retired from the Navy, the seminar helped me understand the business. I was able to use it immediately in my job in industry.” — Rick Doran, Allied Command Transformation, Norfolk, VA

For further information or to register contact Carolyn Tarrant or Rita Bond at the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development. Phone: (757) 826.3327 or Email: ctarrant@pcfwd.org or rbond@pcfwd.org.

From Matthew James, President & CEO, Peninsula Council for Workforce Development (PCFWD)

IPads, Text Messaging Enhances Communication Efforts in Williamsburg, Va.

Posted Aug 18, 2010, By Russell Nichols, Staff Writer for Government Technology

As iPads and smartphones continue to transform ideas of how governments communicate, officials in Williamsburg, Va., have realized the power of touch.

In July, the city chose to adopt iPads to eliminate printed materials for City Council meetings and enhance e-mail and Web access for council members. And this week, local officials launched CITY411, a text messaging system that allows residents to text problems that need to be fixed around the city.

In both cases, the idea is to move beyond traditional methods of communication so city workers and citizens can better navigate the digital landscape with the latest tech tools and save money, time and resources.

With iPads, for instance, the city cuts out the $2,000 a year spent on printing council meeting agenda and work sessions, said Mark Barham, IT director. The iPads cost about $600 each, and the city paid $17 per device for third-party software to enable specific functionality and uses standard Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. The elimination of printed council packets alone, Barham said, would pay for the five iPads in 18 months.

With Birmingham, Ala., recently announcing its plans to put iPads in the hands of council members, the tablet computer is making a strong impression in public-sector circles. In addition to the savings element, Williamsburg officials agreed that the iPad would enable council members to have constant access to the Internet, calendars and contacts, but also preserve traditional hands-on techniques.

“The iPad has annotation software available (at a cost of $7 per copy) that will enable City Council members to make notes, highlight information, apply reminder tags, etc., in the same fashion that they would mark up a printed copy for use in the council meeting,” City Manager Jack Tuttle wrote in a July memo to Mayor Jeanne Ziedler and the City Council.

But Tuttle didn’t find inspiration for the city’s text messaging system in an Apple store. He was in Kettering, England, when he came across a system for citizens to text any municipal issues to local officials, and thought why not in Williamsburg?

The text messaging trend has become more attractive to governments in recent months, especially in local law enforcement agencies, such as the Marion County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, which started accepting distress calls via text message this summer. In Williamsburg — where the latest citizen survey showed that 91 percent of city residents own cell phones — the latest texting service makes a lot of sense.

The city found a vendor, Mobivity, and now pays $79 for up to 500 messages a month, Tuttle said. To use CITY411, users create a new text message from their phone and send it to 95495. In the body of the text, enter CITY411, followed by a space and then type the message. The sender will receive an initial automatic response saying the message has been received. Each message comes in to the IT department and gets routed to the appropriate department, which will respond once the issue has been addressed.

The service is designed for residents to report non-emergency issues: a crooked stop sign, a pothole, a missed trash pickup, an abandoned vehicle, etc.

If it’s an emergency, citizens will be directed to call 911. Standard text messaging rates may apply, depending on the user’s mobile phone plan. The service has been online for a week, but one person has already texted in an issue.

“The first one we received was someone asking about synchronizing traffic lights outside the city limits,” Tuttle said. “We got back to them and said, ‘It’s outside our limits, but it’s handled by the [Virginia Department of Transportation] and here’s the number.’”

Citizens can also register their mobile phones to receive occasional text messages from the city about upcoming events, weather advisories or other critical information. To date, 38 citizens have subscribed.

“It’s one more way of getting the word out,” Tuttle said, adding that he believes it will be especially popular with the younger generation. “We’ll see what kind of volume we get. I think, over time, it will grow.”

Working Together to Fight Crime on the Peninsula in Hampton Roads Region

From the Public Information Office in the City of Newport News’ Office of the Chief of Police (PIO).

After being contacted by the publisher of the Daily Press asking to meet with the police chief and the agencies’ Public Information Officers (PIO) “to discuss an idea that may prove mutually beneficial,” the Newport News Police Department and the Hampton Police Division began a very successful crime fighting project.

Newport News Chief James D. Fox and Hampton Chief Charles Jordan, along with their PIOs, met with the Daily Press publisher, Mr. Digby A. Solomon, who spoke about how the newspaper, in the past, has sold the most papers, and in some cases every paper printed, on days when either agency, as a part of their “warrant list” operations, placed a paid advertisement in the paper listing some of their most wanted persons, including photos.

To the delight of the chiefs and the PIOs, Mr. Solomon offered, at no charge, a full page, for the two agencies to share, in the paper each week listing wanted persons and their photographs along with a crime of the week.  Considering the cost of a full page advertisement, both the chiefs and the PIOs were extremely excited about this opportunity.

The “warrant list” operations have taken place two to three times a year since 2004 and have proven extremely successful for both agencies. The day the advertisement appears in the paper and for a day or two after, the department has a number of law enforcement officers (from local, state and federal agencies) divided into arrest teams. These teams follow up on the numerous tips called in to provide information on the location of wanted persons and also attempt to serve other outstanding warrants. The most recent operation in Newport News netted approximately 70 arrests nearly all of which involved felony charges.

This opportunity is a definite win – win for everyone involved. Law enforcement gets to put out their information at no cost, in tough budget times, thereby helping the community, and the paper will most likely see an increase in revenue, while performing a service to the community by working with the police to make the cities safer places to live, work and play.

Since the weekly “Wanted Page” began on May 6, 2010, well over 100 wanted persons have been arrested in Newport News and Hampton. These arrests are a direct result of people seeing the weekly Thursday advertisement and, in most cases, calling Crime Line anonymously to provide information on where the wanted persons can be found.

Law enforcement agencies from across Hampton Roads encourage anyone with information on wanted persons or any other crime in their cities to call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. Crime Line callers are reminded that they may remain totally anonymous, are never required to testify in court and could be eligible for a cash reward for information leading to an arrest.

No tax dollars are used to support the Crime Line programs. All funding is solely from donations and fund raisers. The programs are operated by volunteer civilian boards that raise the funds to pay rewards and authorize reward payments. For more information about the Hampton Roads area Crime Line programs go to http://www.888lockuup.com. For additional information specifically about the Peninsula Crime Line program go to http://www.peninsulacrimeline.com.

Sooner or later it was bound to happen, as even a hyperpower has limits. After nine years, the United States is reassessing its commitment to the longest war it has to date prosecuted. Monday’s announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates of budget cuts, a personnel freeze and the dissolution of the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) represents the beginning of a marked change in how America will protect itself and how it calculates priorities within our nation’s defense.

by Sebestyén L.V. Gorka posted on the New Atlanticist Policy and Analysis Blog on August 16, 2010

Coming as these decisions do a matter of days after the wholesale disclosure of classified information by a renegade website and the launch of a series of investigative reports by a national daily into waste and redundancy within the intelligence community, they will satisfy two different constituencies: those which favor a less activist national security sector and those who, whilst more hawkish of persuasion, support a leaner and more efficient national defense establishment.

However, the merits of Secretary Gates’ proposed austerity measures cannot be gauged in terms of dollars and cents alone. Any such large-scale alteration to how an administration invests in the security of the country must by its nature have doctrinal as well as operational consequences. Especially the decision that has been institutionally the easiest to focus upon: the dismantling of the four-star joint command in Norfolk, Va.

The creation 11 years ago, out of the former Atlantic Command, of a new organization that would serve the other regional combatants commands in promoting “jointness” — or the integration of military capabilities across all services: Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines— was closely connected to the sweeping reform of the U.S. military that occurred in the late 1980s. After several very exposed failures — most especially the disastrous attempt to rescue our hostages in Iran that was Operation Desert One — Congress mandated interoperability across all services through the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. This would lead to the creation of two non-regional commands: U.S. Special Operations Command and later U.S. Joint Forces Command.

Although at the time, such a congressional “intrusion” into the mechanics of the armed forces was resented by many in uniform, the results have been positive. Today an ambitious officer who wants to climb the rank structure to general or flag officer status must serve a joint, or “purple” tour (as it is called because this is the color one arrives at after all the services’ colors are mixed). He or she cannot stay safely within the culture of one military force but demonstrate familiarity and expertise in the ways of its sister services.

Although a child of the Cold War, this concept of jointness was only truly proven well after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the last 20 years, as the nation has deployed soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to highly complex theaters such as the Middle East, the Balkans and, after Sept. 11, 2001, into Central Asia, it has become obvious that the conventional ways of war no longer apply. With enemies that have no nation-state or national army, who wear no uniform or fail to follow the established laws of war, there is no room for classic divisions of labor established for an era in which the main forces of one nation would meet the main forces of another on the battlefield and fight until a clear victory was imposed by the one upon the other. Jointness may not be a concept found in the classic canons of strategic masters such as Carl von Clausewitz, but neither were such works written with today’s enemies in mind.

Today, not only is jointness needed more than ever, it should be a concept implemented across all departments of government, which have a role in national security. If one cannot become a general unless one has executed a purple tour, then likewise, one should not be able to become ambassador unless one has served in a military tour, or become a CIA head-of-station unless one has served in a stabilization mission. You don’t have to be a fan of nation-building to understand that the ability to work with other elements of government and to know their capabilities (and limitations) is an asset that will make the nation better able to cope with a most un-Clausewitzian world.

Secretary Gates is right to finally rein in the defense sector, especially given the slow rate of economic recovery we are witnessing. Nevertheless, of all the waste and redundancy that should be tackled first, the Joint Forces Command needn’t be the first. On the contrary, the secretary should hold up the concept of jointness as a model for his other Cabinet colleagues and convince the commander in chief that in an age in which we see the globalization and democratization of violence, the nation would be well-served by not just more purple within the armed services, but also by the institutionalization of a culture of “SuperPurple” across all the organs of American national security.

Our enemies already operate in a cross-cultural and post-conventional world. We should — in this — emulate them.

Representatives from ABC-Virginia will be on hand and magazines available at MegaVention 2010 on August 25th at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. “The Future for Virginia’s Cities Resembles a Charming Past” By Lindsay Minard

The term “edge city” debuted in 1991 in Joel Garreau’s EDGE CITY: Life on the New Frontier. With the right amount of epiphany and wit, his stab at describing the 20th century evolution of cities was convincing enough to get baptized urban dictionary-style.

Defined by Garreau, “edge cities” have five million square feet or more of office space, over 600,000 square feet of retail space, an early morning increase in population followed by a significant drop in numbers beginning at 5:00 PM and an aura of being a place with it all; and likely featured, 30 years prior to their current state, a single pump gas station with a sign in the window indicating LAST STOP FOR GAS FOR 50 MILES.

Edge city, the term, had a good run; in 20 years it was snatched from its urban dictionary digs to title a magazine, a café, a website, a video game, its own film, and yes, even a band. But the spotlight is fleeting even for the brightest of trends.

There are certain truths of human nature that continually impact the way we live, work and play.

• One. We repeatedly fall for the “grass is greener” trick.
• Two. We know we need to think big picture, but we often get caught in the here and now – forgetting about the there and later.
• Three. We are restless. We run through 24/7 with blind drive propelling us forward. Then we retire; and often head back to work lest we be sitting at home wringing our hands.
• Four: We are lifetime subscribers to all things that allow us to move faster toward the greener grass, the presumable there and later.

With human nature in play, restless 20th century Americans used the automobile to break free of 19th century downtowns in search of greener grass on its outskirts.

Decades after the initial trek to suburbia, “edge city” was Joel Garreau’s cool name for the result of what happened when suburbanites decided they were fed up with leaving their white-picket-fenced yards to drive downtown to work and shop. By 1991, work, heavy duty retail and fitness playgrounds were brought closer to Stepford – right off major highways and interstates—disregarding the there and later, focusing on the here and now.

“If you look at a map today you’ll often see a major road extending from an urban area to the suburbs with everything built off it; one way in—one way out—no connectivity. With that move to the suburbs, we essentially shot ourselves in the foot from a transportation standpoint. That type of development is unsustainable and has us trending back downtown,” states Dana Dickens, president of the Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP).

In 2010 edge cities are still around, still imprisoning their well-dressed nine-to-fivers. But in the 21st century, society is trending towards Garreau’s newest entry for consideration in the urban dictionary, “Santa Fe’ing.” The verb looks to define the next evolution of cities taking place, according to Garreau, in reaction to the latest revolution in transportation: the networked computer.

Whether it be the computer, natural progression (or for Virginians, a solution to transportation woes), commercial real estate is undoubtedly taking on a different shape. Virginia and much of the country is trading in its sterile, concrete-jungle-esque edge cities and Santa Fe’ing them back into something resembling charming downtowns of our past.  more…

The entire cover story, “The Future for Virginia’s Cities,” is available for download here.

Escapes: Norfolk is more than just a Navy town By Cindy Loose, Special Contributor to The Washington Post on August 13, 2010 (a former Travel writer for The Post, Loose now works in public relations)

Having lunch at Rowena’s Tea Shop in Norfolk is like dining inside a nursery rhyme. One wall features a garden mural with larger-than-life images of Mr. Jellyford Jam III and other whimsical characters that owner Rowena Fullinwider has created. Quiche, sandwiches and the desserts that have been featured in Gourmet and Bon Appetit are delivered on tiered silver platters.

Fullinwider began making cakes from her home to raise money for the Norfolk opera. Today, her shop ships tons of gourmet food across the country.

Her progress is emblematic of what has been happening in Norfolk the past decade or two, as government and private entrepreneurs have worked to transform a deteriorating Navy town into a thriving, attractive, fun city for residents and tourists alike.

A recent visit proved that the effort has paid off. Norfolk is ready for prime time. A long weekend provided art, history, gorging and an outdoor adventure.

It started with a Segway tour that begins and ends along the waterfront, where tall ships and tugboats, sailboats and barges traverse the Elizabeth River near the Chesapeake Bay. Until the city completes a tramway that will eventually run all the way to Virginia Beach, Segways and bikes can ride along the tracks through town.

The city has invested millions in its waterfront, including a recent renovation of Town Point Park, where kids run through water fountains and play on grassy fields in front of an outdoor concert stage.

Norfolk is a city of waterfront festivals: One of the biggest, the wine festival, comes to town Oct. 16-17. Vintners from 30 wineries will join restaurateurs and musicians and sailors who parade and race on the river.

The waterfront is dotted with outdoor sculptures. During the Segway tour, we stop to read the collection of bronzed letters sculpted to look as if they’re blowing in the wind. Each letter is the last written by an American serviceman or servicewoman killed in war. The dates range from 1777 to 1991.

On Aug. 29, 1862, Robert Henry Miller wrote to his mother: “War looks a great deal better in the newspapers than anywhere else.” On Oct. 21, 1944, a nurse named Frances Slager wrote: “They are brought in bloody, dirty, and most of them so tired. Somebody’s brothers. Somebody’s fathers. Somebody’s sons.”

I’ve been looking forward to renting a bike and riding a miles-long path along the water, through a park and a wildlife sanctuary. The heat of a late July afternoon, however, drives us inside. No sweat: The Chrysler Museum of Art is a gem, the building itself a monument to beauty.

That evening, after a fabulous dinner in the historic neighborhood of Ghent, we stroll the lively streets. Night life is centered on Brandy Street [SmartRegion Editor:  actually, Granby, not Brandy, Street] and Colley Avenue. The Granby Theater, opened in 1915 as a vaudeville theater, now operates on weekends as a nightclub and concert venue. Live music is playing at Fahrenheit, famous for its exotic martini mixes.

Night life of a more cultured variety begins in the fall. Highlights: the Harrison Opera House, which opens its season Oct. 2 with Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The Attucks Theatre, once known as the “Apollo of the South,” has hosted most of the great African American performers — musicians including Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole — since opening in 1919. Among upcoming events: a Black Film Festival in October.

The grandest theater in town is the Wells [Editor: home of the Virginia Stage Company], a beaux-arts National Historic Landmark restored not long ago to its original 1913 splendor. Its season begins Sept. 21 with “The Diary of Anne Frank” and ends April 17 with August Wilson’s “Radio Golf.”

The rest of our trip is devoted to history, including a stop at the Black Soldiers Memorial in Elmwood Cemetery. It stands, in the heart of Dixie, honoring African Americans who fought for the Union in the Civil War.

After a tour of the USS Wisconsin, one of the largest battleships ever built, we board the tour boat Victory Rover for a narrated trip to the huge Norfolk naval base. One fact stands out: A single nuclear-powered ship we saw cost $8 billion.

Mostly I remember the cool breezes and the views of a city that takes full pride in and advantage of its beautiful waterfront location.

Getting There: Norfolk is 194 miles from Washington. Take Interstate 95 south to I-295 south to I-64 east to Exit 284A.

For more… [CLICK HERE]