Has Smart Growth Made A Difference In Maryland?

"Ten years ago, Maryland grabbed national attention when its governor steered the state on a new tack in the nationwide struggle to curb suburban sprawl.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening vowed to slow the loss of the state's farmland and forests and halt the continuing decline of the nation's largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay, by halting government subsidies for roads, schools and other public facilities serving spread-out development. He also sought to encourage urban redevelopment and spent state money freely to preserve threatened natural lands from the bulldozer.

Glendening's smart growth strategy was hailed by environmental advocates and planners and copied by other states. The two-term governor stepped down five years ago to lead a national activist group promoting his views.

A decade later, though, it's hard to see a lot of difference in Maryland's landscape. Large tracts of land have been spared from the bulldozer in parts of the state. But houses are still popping up in former farm fields. And the Chesapeake is still in decline."