John W. Frece spend two decades as a reporter writing about growth and development before working as press officer for Gov. Parris N. Glendening. Today, he's a leading force in the smart growth movement.
"'John was one of the individuals who helped make smart growth part of the average citizen's vocabulary,' said Governor Glendening. 'We've had a partnership for over 15 years, and I welcome his new position as an opportunity to continue that partnership.'
For the last five and a half years, Frece has been involved with the research side of smart growth as the Associate Director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, a land use research center affiliated with four schools at University of Maryland. He also served as an adjunct professor in Urban Studies and Planning. He says that as he has become more involved, his passion for smart growth has only grown.
'Like many Americans I look around and see these problems in the landscape,' said Frece. 'There's the loss of natural beauty, the encroachment on farmland, traffic congestion that stems from sprawling development patterns, as well as the environmental damage that poor planning can incur. Smart growth is an aspirational movement-that we think we can do a better job of creating orderly, attractive and environmentally friendly development than we have been doing these last 50 or 60 years.'"
FULL STORY: Smart growth veteran tapped to lead innovative federal program at US EPA
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)