Maryland

Three-story apartment buildings in Takoma Village, a cohousing complex in Washington, D.C.

Building Community With Cohousing

Developers and buyers create new models for housing that hold the promise of a more environmentally friendly, connected, and multigenerational way of living.

May 10, 2023 - Urban Land Online

Outdoor dining with bright green chairs on a sidewalk in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore Sets Guidelines for Permanent Parklet Program

With pandemic-era parklet regulations set to expire on June 30, the city is launching a new, permanent set of guidelines for outdoor dining and other uses of curbside space.

May 3, 2023 - Baltimore Sun

Historic Downtown Frederick Maryland sign in downtown area.

Maryland City Reveals Draft Form-Based Code

With the new zoning code, Frederick aims to shift away from use-based zoning regulations.

April 30, 2023 - City of Frededick

White public bus on street in Baltimore, Maryland with brick buildings in background

Maryland Assembly Passes ‘Fair Fares Act’

If signed by the governor, the act will halt a scheduled fare increase previously tied to inflation.

April 19, 2023 - Greater Greater Washington

MARC train going through the Gaithersburg, Maryland train station

Maryland Moving Forward with Inter-State Partnerships for ‘Run-Through’ Rail Service

The great unification of D.C.-region rail transit is well underway, thanks to recent agreements between transit planners in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

April 16, 2023 - The Washington Post

Highway Widening

Maryland Toll Road Project Loses Key Operator Amid Lawsuits, Shifting Political Landscape

The loss of toll operator Transurban could be a death knell for the controversial I-495/I-270 Managed Lanes Project in Maryland.

March 12, 2023 - The Washington Post

Coronavirus and Urbanism

Austin Scores Highest on Pandemic Recovery; Bay Area and Baltimore Lowest

The Bay Area Council and CBRE created an economic tracker to measure how well the nation's 25 largest metropolitan areas have recovered from the public health restrictions imposed on their regions at the onset of the pandemic.

March 5, 2023 - Bay City News Foundation

Unhoused person sleeping on bench at bus stop on Baltimore street

Baltimore Sees Steep Drop in Unhoused Residents

The city exceeded its goals for providing housing and creating new affordable housing units in 2022.

February 17, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

View into gray stone train tunnel with visible opening on other side

Creating a Meaningful Community Input Process in Baltimore

Seeking to avoid the mistakes of the past, the city undertook a robust community engagement process when planning the reconstruction of the Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel.

February 14, 2023 - Next City

Two buses pull up to a station on a snowy day.

Increased Service, Employer Tax Breaks Entice Transit Ridership in Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Maryland transit planners are hoping workers returning to the office in 2023 will rediscover the benefits of a public transit commute.

January 30, 2023 - Bethesda Magazine

The Yards Park, in Washington, D.C.

Want to Swim in the Potomac? Army Corps to Study the Possibility

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could soon study how to legalize swimming in the rivers around the nation’s capital—a scenario that would have seemed impossible in the not-too-distant past.

December 27, 2022 - DCist

Baltimore Rail

Baltimore’s Red Line Rail Project Back on the Table Thanks to New Governor

One of the most infamously anti-transit decisions of the past decade—Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s decision to cancel the Baltimore Red Line system expansion—could be reversed by the incoming governor.

December 12, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

View looking up at multi-story building on commercial street in Bethesda, Maryland

Montgomery County To Require Decarbonized New Construction

Under a new bill, most new buildings will be banned from using natural gas in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift to all-electric power.

December 1, 2022 - DCist

Old brick buildings line Central Avenue in Baltimore. The street is filled with construction equipment.

Protected Bike Lanes, Vehicle Lane Reductions Cause Stir in Baltimore

Residents and business operators say they weren’t warned about a road diet planned for a major thoroughfare in Baltimore. Planners and advocates say the changes have been a long time coming.

November 30, 2022 - The Baltimore Sun

Under Armour Clothing Global Headquarters

Developers Rebrand Baltimore’s Port Covington Megaproject

The megaproject formerly known as Port Covington is now known as Baltimore Peninsula.

November 23, 2022 - The Baltimore Banner

Colorful sunset viewed from rockly shoreline on Chesapeake Bay with dock in distance

Federal Protection Proposed for Chesapeake Bay

Two Maryland lawmakers will introduce legislation to create the Chesapeake Bay National Recreation Area to protect the region’s important ecological and cultural resources.

November 16, 2022 - The Washington Post

The High Cost of Free Parking

The United Nations Calls on U.S. Planners to Break Land Use, Transportation Status Quo

“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”

November 13, 2022 - Greater Greater Washington

Highway Widening

Lawsuit Challenges Maryland's Big Highway Widening Plans

A lawsuit has challenged Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's plans, first proposed in 2017 and granted federal approval earlier this year, to widen Interstate 270 and part of the Capital Beltway.

October 27, 2022 - The Washington Post

Montgomery County

Montgomery County Growth Plan Approved

The county council approved the much-debated long-range growth plan, preparing the region for a shift toward more mid-density housing and transit-oriented development.

October 27, 2022 - The Washington Post

Street with Regal cinema building in downtown Rockville, Maryland

Montgomery County Divided Over Long-Range Plan

In the wake of mass resignations at the county’s planning board, the county council will vote to update their growth plan to reflect the region’s changing economy and demographics.

October 25, 2022 - The Washington Post

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.