MPCA Corner

by Kristen E. Humphrey, MLA, Local Assistance and Training Planner

Keynote speaker, Eli Glazier, will be focusing on the importance of pedestrian safety and walkability during his presentation at the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association’s (MPCA’s) 39th annual conference later this month.

This year’s conference, entitled Planning for Challenges on the Horizon, will be held in Frederick City on October 25-26 as part of the organization’s collaboration with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), rounding out Walktober, its month-long celebration of all things walking-related.

A Transportation Planner with the Montgomery Planning Department — part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) — Glazier will be speaking about opportunities for improving walkability through thoughtful design, supportive regulations, and policy change.

Glazier says, “Making it easier to walk is about more than just sidewalks and crosswalks.” As such, his presentation will highlight common obstacles to walkability and share the diverse recommendations of Montgomery County’s new Draft Pedestrian Master Plan that aim to overcome these obstacles — including strategies that are applicable to communities both large and small across the state.

Following Glazier’s formal remarks, which will be at 12:45 p.m. on October 26, there will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions about the walkability challenges they are facing in their own jurisdictions. (Please refer to the 39th Annual Conference preliminary agenda for more information about the two-day program.)

Eli Glazier is the project manager for Montgomery County’s first Pedestrian Master Plan, an effort to lay the groundwork for a county where walking and rolling are safe, accessible, direct, and convenient for people of all ages and abilities.

Prior to joining Montgomery County Planning, Glazier worked as a planner for Toole Design, a national active transportation planning and design firm based in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he worked with communities across the country to make it easier and safer to walk and bike.

Glazier received his undergraduate degree in International Politics from Pennsylvania State University and earned his master’s degree in Planning from the University of Southern California.