Maryland

D.C. Metro System

Penalty for Paying Cash for Transit Fare Fails the Equity Test

A proposal to charge riders who pay fare in cash an extra 25 cents faces criticism.

November 20, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Marlyand

When the Floodwaters Receded in Ellicott City

Ellicott City, Maryland, a suburb located 12-miles from Baltimore with a historic Main Street that has experienced catastrophic flooding twice since 2016, offers a case study of the complementary effects of sprawl and climate change.

November 13, 2019 - NPR

Potomac River

Maryland and Virginia to Increase Capacity on the Legion Bridge Across the Potomac

Maryland and Virginia have decided on a plan to widen the American Legion Memorial Bridge, connecting the Northern Virginia suburbs of McLean and Great Falls with Maryland’s Montgomery County.

November 13, 2019 - WTOP

Presidential Blvd Road Diet

On Foot: Planners Complete Street Safety Inventory One Step at a Time

Before drafting a new Pedestrian Master Plan for Montgomery County, planners are creating a detailed inventory of street conditions by walking every single one fo the county's roads and streets.

November 6, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

National Harbor

Maryland County National Leader in Green Infrastructure and Jobs

Community-based public-private partnerships are bringing green infrastructure jobs to Prince George’s County and cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.

November 5, 2019 - Next City

Baltimore Vacancy

Demolitions Can't Keep Pace With Vacancies in Baltimore

As the city of Baltimore grapples with a declining population, it faces obstinate challenges in controlling the problems associated with vacant buildings, including the "vicious cycle" of vacancies causing more vacancies.

October 29, 2019 - The Washington Post

residential Neighborhood

McMimpact Fee Proposed

Should there be an extra fee for property owners who tear down an existing single-family home and replace it with a much larger, more expensive single-family home?

October 17, 2019 - WAMU

Annapolis Maryland

Changes to Annapolis Housing Program After Lackluster Results

Too many developers chose to pay in-lieu fees to the Maryland city, and the inclusionary housing program was not producing much affordable housing.

October 12, 2019 - Next City

Pedestrians

The Vision Zero Commitment in Prince George's County

The Maryland county is launching a traffic safety program, but much work and many changes are needed to eliminate traffic fatalities.

October 12, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

D.C. Metro

Report: D.C. Area Commuters Driving Alone Less

With all the bad news about plummeting ridership as the D.C. Metro transit system has struggled to deal with maintenance issues, a new report indicates that regional commuters are still driving alone less.

October 10, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Pennsylvania State Capitol

Will Pennsylvania Become the 11th State in the Northeast to Price Carbon Emissions?

Pennsylvania is the nation’s #2 natural gas producer, #3 in coal, and #4 in carbon emissions. Gov. Tom Wolf issued an executive order on Oct. 3 to initiate the process to join the regional cap-and-trade program, but will the legislature allow it?

October 8, 2019 - The Patriot-News

Refueling

Reducing Transportation Emissions by Targeting Fuel Suppliers

Modeled on the nation's first mandatory cap-and-trade program that only targets power plant emissions, the Transportation & Climate Initiative subjects transportation fuel to a similar market-based program. It took a major step forward on Oct. 1.

October 5, 2019 - The Hill

Light Rail Transit

All That Could Have Been: Transit Planning in Maryland

Maryland approved ambitious plans for public transit expansion around Baltimore in 2002, but almost none of it became a reality. With a new plan in the works, transit boosters assess the loss of a generation's worth of progress.

October 3, 2019 - Maryland Matters

Green Electricity for Lime Scooters

A new program that will incentivize scooter "juicers," the people who collect and charge electric scooters for a fee, to switch to green energy.

September 29, 2019 - CityLab

Back Bay

Study Identifies Inclusionary Zoning's Fatal Flaw

Inclusionary zoning can't work because of the exclusionary zoning policies that the system relies on, according to new research.

September 24, 2019 - Mercatus Center

Patapsco River

Dam Removal Complete on Maryland's Patapasco River

The Bloede Dam was the most downstream of a series of three dams on the Patapsco River in the Patapsco Valley State Park in Maryland. Now all three dams have been removed, concluding with the Bloede Dam, and the river runs free.

September 13, 2019 - American Rivers

Pedestrians and Walkable Street

First for Montgomery County: A Pedestrian Master Plan

Planners in Montgomery County, Maryland, one of the most famous suburban regions in the country, will produce the first-ever pedestrian master plan for the county.

September 10, 2019 - Source of the Spring

Baltimore, Maryland

Low Income People of Color More Likely to Suffer Extreme Heat

A recently published report finds more evidence to elevate heat as a matter of environmental justice.

September 7, 2019 - NPR

Baltimore Middle Branch Patapsco River

Transforming the Waterfront into Baltimore's 'Blue Green Heart'

Dutch design firm West 8 recently won a competition to rethink an 11-mile stretch of the Baltimore's waterfront, not to be confused with a $5.5 billion project to redevelop Port Covington.

September 5, 2019 - Next City

Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Editorial: The Best New Chesapeake Bay Bridge Is No New Chesapeake Bay Bridge

The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board finds numerous faults with the state of Maryland's preliminary investigation of an idea to add another bridge across the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis.

September 2, 2019 - The Baltimore Sun

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.