A Suburban Success Story

The suburban, master planned community of Columbia, Maryland is many of the things urbanists hope their cities will become.

1 minute read

August 2, 2017, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The Mall in Columbia

The Mall in Columbia is located in the Town Center. | Payton Chung / Flickr

Amanda Kolson Hurley reports on a "suburban experiment" that offers lessons for cities. "In an era when city living is virtually synonymous with cool, Columbia, Md., emanates suburban uncool," writes Kolson Hurley. The community flies in the face of almost everything Jane Jacobs cherished about cities, but "as Columbia marks the 50th anniversary since the first residents moved in, it has become clear that [Columbia developer James] Rouse got some important things right."

Kolson Hurley describes Rouse's approach to the project as a response to the "soulless sprawl" that defined most suburban construction of the 1970s. Rouse was "ahead of his time," according to the article, "in his pursuit of an ecologically sensitive, mixed-income and colorblind community in an era when redlining was common. And Columbia’s success on those fronts stands out next to most of the planned communities that came after it."

Among the other successes now apparent in Columbia, 50 years after its creation: prosperity and racial and economic integration that shouldmake New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. blush. 

Thursday, July 13, 2017 in The Washington Post

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.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3, 2025 - Governing

White park shuttles with large Zion logo on side and red rock cliffs in background in Zion National Park.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”

Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

July 15 - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Chart of federal transportation funding comparing Biden and Trump administration spending.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden

Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

July 15 - Transportation for America

Close-up on yellow and black TAXI sign on top of beige car in central Munich, Germany.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence

Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.

July 15 - Bloomberg