With less than 300 residents, the town of Vienna, Maryland, has been grappling with the idea of growth for years. The town's mayor is now supporting a plan that will let the town grow, but not explode.
The new plan for growth involves acquiring nearly 400 acres of farmland and building about 300 homes, effectively tripling the town of Vienna's small population. But the mayor doesn't want to just sprinkle homes on the new land. He's planning on integrating this new development with existing homes, utilizing existing infrastructure, and designing homes to match the existing style.
"A preliminary plan envisions houses designed to match the white clapboard homes in the older part of Vienna, linking new and old in a seamless extension of streets that were first laid out when the town got its charter in 1706. New neighborhoods and old would be centered on a new town square with a new Town Hall building, Mayor Russell Brinsfield says."
"Supporters say Vienna's project is classic smart growth -- a carefully planned cluster of neighborhoods linked to water and sewer and other services instead of new homes scattered across scarce rural farmland on wells and septic systems."
FULL STORY: Vienna tries to plan growth
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions