Silver Spring

Montgomery County

'Neighborhood Defenders' and the Suburban Status Quo

A tour de force of reporting documents the efforts of suburban Maryland residents to oppose new developments in their neighborhoods.

April 6, 2022 - DCist

A typical American shopping center, with a thrift store at one end and a parking lot full of cars.

One Maryland Thrift Store: 40 Pages of Zoning Documentation

A writer for Strong Towns offers a case study of "the byzantine development process" of many municipalities in the United States.

March 17, 2022 - Strong Towns

Kogi Los Angeles

Food Trucks on Demand

Move over, ride-hailing companies. Food trucks have been responding to demand in neighborhoods.

February 17, 2021 - Washington City Paper

Maryland

Silver Spring Downtown Plan Expanding to Make Room for the Missing Middle

Planners are hoping that by expanding the boundaries of the Silver Spring Downtown Plan in Montgomery County, Maryland, new opportunities for missing middle housing will create new opportunities for housing affordability.

June 9, 2020 - Greater Greater Washington

Bethesda, Maryland

Where There Aren't Enough Schools for New Homes

Parts of Montgomery County, Maryland have declared a moratorium on new homes because schools are overcrowded.

September 12, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Purple Line Extension

Court Ruling Could Be a Final Setback for Maryland Purple Line Extension

A recent ruling by a U.S. district court could be a deathblow for the 16-mile Purple Line extension into Maryland, as well as for transit planning in general.

May 23, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Urban Agriculture

Tax Credits to Encourage Urban Agriculture

Montgomery County, Maryland is the latest municipality to approve an agricultural tax credit to to create incentives for agricultural uses in urban areas.

March 10, 2017 - Source of the Spring

Bus Stop

Biggest Loser: Streetsblog Announces its 2016 'Sorriest Bus Stop in America'

An annual tradition is back, and there's plenty of decrepit, unsafe bus infrastructure to lament.

August 9, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Long-Delayed Silver Spring Transit Center Opens Sunday

Four years behind schedule and $50 million over budget, the Silver Spring Transit Center will be open to bus business on September 20, 2015. Eventually, light rail will also serve the location.

September 19, 2015 - PlanItMetro

Could the Silver Spring Transit Center Get a Park After All?

Developments in a story from earlier in the year—the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is receptive to the ideas of local political leaders for a park near the beleaguered Silver Spring Transit Center.

October 23, 2014 - The Gazette

More Questions than Answers for the Silver Spring Transit Center

Bill Turque catches up on the progress of the "$120 million concrete albatross" that is the Silver Spring Transit Center.

August 18, 2014 - The Washington Post

Parks Need Buildings, Too—A Silver Spring Transit Center Case Study

As the long-awaited Silver Spring Transit Center continues construction, voices in the community want to consider a park adjacent to the forthcoming Metro stop. Dan Reed writes, however, that the area might not be well suited for a park.

February 20, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

Another D.C. Suburb Aims to Densify

The D.C. suburbs seem to be fertile ground for some of the nation's most ambitious retrofit projects. The latest plan to be made public would transform a 1950's era apartment and retail complex in Silver Spring, reports Jonathan O'Connell.

February 15, 2013 - The Washington Post

Creating a Defined Urban Core Just Outside the Nation's Capitol

Montgomery County planner John Marcolin details the ongoing creation of an urban core in Silver Spring, Maryland, the thriving unincorporated area just northeast of Washington, D.C.

February 2, 2013 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.