Montgomery County Charts a New Path with 'Thrive 2050'

A new plan under development in Montgomery County, Maryland plots a course change for the famously suburban county.

2 minute read

December 8, 2020, 6:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Montgomery County

Thrive Montgomery 2050 / Montgomery County Planning

Dan Reed reports on the Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan, which is accepting public feedback through December 2020. Here's how Reed summarizes the planning effort:

Over the past year, Montgomery County planners have been trying to find solutions, and put them together in Thrive 2050, an ambitious document for how the county should grow and change over the next thirty years. Thrive wouldn’t actually change laws or policies: Planning Board chairman Casey Anderson called it a “plan for other plans,” helping leaders make laws or policies in the future. The plan’s big themes include racial justice, affordable homes, and more transportation options.

According to the insights and historical background offered by Reed, the county has a history of quick growth, but planners will need a new approach than the one implemented by Harland Bartholomew in the 1960s to deal with the 200,000 people expected to move to the county in the next 20 years. The big idea of Thrive 2050 is to replace the old "Wedges and Corridors" approach of the 960s with a new "Complete Communities" approach that is, as you might expect, a local version on the 15-minute community model catching on around the world.

"Opening up single-family zoning to allow 'missing middle' homes, like duplexes, townhomes, and small apartment buildings, would give people more housing options that fit their budget and needs," explains Reed. "Building out the Bus Rapid Transit network Montgomery County approved in 2013 would give people an option for longer trips."

According to Reed, the Thrive 2050 plan has already provoked some passionate opponents, who fault the plan's vision of relaxed zoning restrictions in single-family neighborhoods.

Monday, December 7, 2020 in Greater Greater Washington

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Metrorail train pulling into newly opened subterranean station in Washington, D.C. with crowd on platform taking photos.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”

The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

June 2, 2025 - The Hill

Large crowd on street in San Francisco, California during Oktoberfest festival.

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns

In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

June 2, 2025 - Robbie Silver

Ohio State Senate building nwith modern downtown Columbus skyscrapers in background.

Proposed Ohio Budget Preserves Housing Trust Fund

The Senate-approved budget also creates two new programs aimed at encouraging housing construction.

16 seconds ago - Ohio Capital Journal

Two children and an adult looking out over railing at Grand Canyon.

DOJ Says Trump Has Power to Roll Back National Monuments

The opinion sheds light on how the administration may justify its effort to eliminate protected public lands.

1 hour ago - Inside Climate News

Aerial view of Camden Station train station in Baltimore, Maryland. Train station is brick neoclassical building with three-tier tower.

Maryland Awards $1.25M in TOD-Related Grants

The state’s DOT is funding projects that prepare sites around transit stations for future mixed-use development and housing.

2 hours ago - The Baltimore Banner