A large chunk of the state's developed land is designated as low to very low single-family residential, which explains an exceptionally high percentage of workers who commute to work alone. PlanMaryland seeks to change this unsustainable trend.
Writing for The Atlantic, Eric Jaffe reports:
"To service this auto-centric growth, the state will need to build thousands of miles of new roads at a cost of billions of dollars. In addition to construction costs, building roads to serve sprawl carries a relative cost of rendering existing transit systems less effective. That's a particular burden for low-income residents who can't afford locate close to main mass transit lines, since the cost of owning a car in Maryland is estimated by the plan at $8,500 a year."
"The solution proposed by PlanMaryland is to increase housing density in areas that already have roads, water systems, and transit access - in other words, to build upon the built."
Read the full story: The Case for a D.C.-Baltimore Mega-Region
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A development pattern this lifestyle-defining deserves its whole own classification system.
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Angkor was a low-density metropolis. It lasted six centuries, until it could no longer maintain its infrastructure in a changing climate. Today, it offers planners a sobering warning about the risks of dispersed urban living.
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
HUD, USDA agree on framework to simplify housing environmental review standards
Their agreement is a requirement of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
Cost of water rising at a faster pace than inflation, median household income
California and Maryland residents have seen their water bills grow especially high.
NYC building owners overwhelmingly comply with new emissions limits
The New York City Department of Buildings is fining owners who did not file emissions reports.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello