Maryland

A Detailed Look at a Model TOD

Rockville Town Square in Rockville, Maryland is a 12.5 acre mixed-use development that, despite being built in 2007 right as the housing crisis happened, is a raging success. Simmons Buntin looks at what developers did right.

March 28, 2011 - Terrain.org

After Crime, Locals Want to Close Light Rail Stop

In Linthicum Heights, Maryland, a man was beaten in a robbery near the local transit station. Neighbors fear the light rail is a lightning rod for crime and want it closed.

March 15, 2011 - The Capital (Annapolis)

Creating a Network of Open Spaces

The city of Baltimore has a new open space plan it thinks will lead the city to future growth that is smarter, more vibrant, and better overall for its residents.

March 11, 2011 - Project For Public Spaces

Leaving a Legacy of Smart Growth

Maryland's Governor O'Malley, heading into his 2nd and last term, wants to leave behind a legacy of environmental improvement, including new smart growth policies to limit building in rural areas.

February 19, 2011 - Washington Post

Bike Projects Create More Jobs Than Road Projects

A new report from the Political Economy Research Institute says that bike and pedestrian projects create 11 to 14 jobs per million dollars spent, while road construction only creates 7 per million.

January 19, 2011 - TheCityFix

Smaller Cities Attracting High Tech

Austin, Texas and Baltimore, Maryland have the right stuff to woo the high-tech industry despite their modest size, says Monique Wassenaar Silverio.

December 30, 2010 - Area Development Online

West Baltimore's 'Highway to Nowhere' Coming Down

This past Friday, demolition began on a segment of Baltimore's infamous "Highway to Nowhere" to expand parking for the local commuter rail service (MARC). A side benefit: reuniting communities separated since the 1970s.

September 13, 2010 - Office of Govenor Martin O'Malley Press Release

Suburban Living With Urban Amenities

Bill Fulton visits his family in Rockville, Maryland, and discovers that a young family looking for suburban space can find it within walking distance of the library, the Metro stop, and mixed-use development.

September 1, 2010 - California Planning & Development Report

Maglev: Dreaming the Impossible Dream?

The idea of a magnetic levitation train has been bubbling for decades, but has yet to materialize in the U.S. Some say the idea is a pipe dream, but this column from The Baltimore Sun says the idea just needs the right home.

August 25, 2010 - The Baltimore Sun

De-Paving and Improving Urban Permeability

A new test program to de-pave the city of Baltimore is turning the soil formerly covered by city school playgrounds. The project is aimed at reducing runoff.

August 24, 2010 - The Balimore Sun

Urban Lifestyle Preference On The Rise

Using the 15-year-old transformation of Rockville, MD's mall-centered downtown to a mixed-use town square as an example, the real estate industry sees the suburban-to-urban lifestyle change spreading across much of the country.

August 4, 2010 - Reuters via ABC News/Money

New Development: Always a Good Sign?

Dan Rodricks has been reading a lot of "good news" about new residential building permits being taken out around Baltimore, and questions whether new development is always a good sign.

July 12, 2010 - The Baltimore Sun

The Food Element of Sustainability in Baltimore

The City of Baltimore has appointed a new "food czar" to look at food health and access issues in the city. In the broader senses, though, officials in the city look at this new position as a part of their sustainability planning.

July 3, 2010 - Good

Stumbling Toward a Smart Grid

The Infrastructurist reports on a recent panel about smart grid technology -- and its awkward timing right after a major smart grid plan was shot down by the Maryland Public Service Commission.

July 1, 2010 - The Infrastructurist

Baltimore Points The Way Forward For Urban Renewal

Neal Peirce describes how Baltimore's first mixed income neighborhood since WWII is taking shape on the east side just north of the Johns Hopkins campus.

June 28, 2010 - Citiwire

A Drastic New Life For Baltimore's Middle Branch Shoreline

Baltimore's Middle Branch waterfront has sat unused for years, since its recent decline as an industrial hub. But a developer has a new plan to drastically remake the 52-acre shoreline.

May 20, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

Science City Approved in Maryland

Montgomery County, Maryland, could become home to a new "science city" development that creates a hub of scientific research institutions and thousands of jobs.

April 30, 2010 - The Washington Post

Developers Spearhead Smart Growth Makeover

Rockville Pike, Maryland has grown haphazardly and auto-centrically for the past few decades. A group of developers has brought planners and politicians together to makeover the town with smart growth principles.

April 28, 2010 - The New York Times

Embracing Baltimore's Existing Arts Districts, Not Creating New Ones

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake wants to turn the city's west side into an arts district. This article from The Baltimore Sun argues that the city already has enough arts districts and should focus efforts on those.

April 11, 2010 - The Baltimore Sun

TOD Plans Approved in White Flint

Montgomery County officials have approved plans to build an extensive new transit-oriented neighborhood at the area around the White Flint Metro stop in North Bethesda, Maryland. The plan is one of the largest in the D.C. area since the 1950s.

March 26, 2010 - The Washington Post

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.