Planning in Progress
As a reminder, October is National Pedestrian Safety Month, as designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).[1] In Maryland, planning for Walktober 2023, a month-long celebration of Maryland’s official state exercise, is well under way and promises an exciting lineup of events and speakers.
The Governor’s administration wants to transform our transportation system and provide Marylanders with accessible, equitable, and sustainable options across the state – including walking and biking – ensuring we “connect all Marylanders to life’s opportunities and no one is left behind.”
To heighten awareness and educate residents about the importance of walking and walkability, throughout October, Maryland state agency partners including the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP), the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), MDOT’s State Highway Administration (SHA) and Maryland Highway Safety Office (MHSO), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and non-profit partners America Walks and AARP, will share information and resources.
This year, there will be four Walkinars on important topics including: National and State Perspectives; Infrastructure Safety; Maryland Pedestrian Safety Initiatives; and Pedestrian Equity. Walkinars are a series of informational webinars hosted by MDP and are free and open to all. For planning professionals with AICP (America Institute of Certified Planners) certification, Walkinars also provide 1.5 Certification Maintenance (CM) credits.[2]
Registration is free and now open! Click the buttons beneath a Walkinar description to register for that session.
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
October 5, 2023
Walkinar #1 – National and State Perspectives
Presenter: Mike McGinn – Executive Director, America Walks
Mike (he/him) got his start in local politics as a neighborhood activist pushing for walkability. From there he founded a non-profit focused on sustainable and equitable growth, and became mayor of Seattle. He worked to add new voices to city decision-making and gained deep insights into how influence is gained and wielded to make change. Just before joining America Walks, Mike worked to help Feet First, Washington State’s walking advocacy organization, expand their sphere of influence across Washington state. He worked on numerous public education, legislative, ballot measure and election campaigns, which has given him an abiding faith in the power of organizing and volunteers to create change. His many years of advocating for sustainable cities and environmental justice give him perspective to expand America Walks partnerships.
Presentation: Walkability Trends
Mike will discuss trends in walkability at the national level, in particular the increased funding available for safe streets and new initiatives for safer vehicles. Mike will share ways in which individuals can help build momentum in their local communities for more walkable, accessible places.
Presenter: Mike Watson – Director, Livable Communities – AARP
Mike Watson is the Director of Livable Communities at AARP, where he is the Enterprise lead for Livable Communities efforts and works with AARP’s 53 state offices to encourage towns, counties, cities, and rural areas to be more livable for people of all ages. He leads the AARP responsible for programs, reaching more than 1,100 locations including the AARP Network of Age Friendly States and Communities, directing technical assistance resources, developing free award-winning publications and resources, and providing livability grants to communities nationwide through the AARP Community Challenge grant program. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Wingate University, a master’s in public policy from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and a professional certificate in municipal finance from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. Mike lives in Annapolis, MD with his wife (an elementary school teacher) and two daughters and is an avid runner, cyclist, and youth lacrosse coach.
Presentation: Livable communities and the role of pedestrian infrastructure and access
Livable communities offer choices in where to live and how to get around, and equitably serves residents of all ages, ability levels, incomes, races, ethnicities, and other backgrounds. Livable communities include essential features that allow residents of all ages and backgrounds to thrive including mixed-use zoning, safe and varied transportation options with pedestrian access, and a diversity of housing types.
October 12, 2023
Walkinar #2 – Infrastructure and Safety
Presenter: Edward Erfurt – Director of Community Action, Strong Towns
Edward Erfurt is the Director of Community Action at Strong Towns. He is a trained architect and passionate urban designer with more than 20 years of public- and private-sector experience focused on the management, design, and successful implementation of development and placemaking projects that enrich the tapestry of place. He believes in community-focused processes that are founded on diverse viewpoints, a concern for equity, and guided through time-tested, traditional town-planning principles and development patterns that result in sustainable growth and community character embraced by the communities that he serves
Presentation: Strong Towns
Edward will discuss the Strong Towns approach to town-planning, an approach that focuses on rationally responding to the challenges created by America’s suburban experiment.
Presenter: Wesley Mitchell, PE – Senior Vice President, WSP USA
Wes Mitchell is a Senior Vice President with a multi-disciplinary Planning/Engineering firm, WSP USA, and serves as the Mid-Atlantic Planning Lead from New Jersey to West Virginia. Wes’ background includes both public and private design experience from the planning, preliminary, and final engineering phases of projects that seamlessly integrates transit, roadways, and bicycle pedestrian accommodations throughout the project life cycle. Wes has more than twenty-six years of experience as a Project Manager, Transportation Planner, and Public Outreach Specialist on a multitude of large- and small-scale transportation projects throughout the region. He is well versed in developing innovative and cost-effective solutions to transportation issues that consistently embrace balanced, multi-modal complete street principles and transportation/land use linkages, especially as they relate to Vision Zero and improved pedestrian safety and accessibility.
Presenter: Kathryn Hendley, AICP – Lead Transportation Planner, WSP USA
Kathryn Hendley is a Transportation Planner with WSP USA in Baltimore and was the Deputy Project Manager for the Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Feasibility Study. She has a wide range of planning experience in Complete Streets transit and bicycle infrastructure projects in the Central Maryland region and has led several successful federal grant applications to fund multi-modal transportation projects. As a pedestrian and cyclist, she is passionate about planning and designing safe, connected, and accessible active transportation infrastructure to create more vibrant cities.
Presentation: Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Feasibility Study
Wes and Kathryn will speak about the Baltimore City Department of Transportation’s Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Study, completed in 2021, that reimagines Druid Park Lake Drive in Baltimore City to significantly increase safety for all modes, including pedestrians, on this major corridor bordering Druid Hill Park.
October 19, 2023
Walkinar #3 – Maryland’s Pedestrian Safety Initiatives
Presenter: Molly Porter, AICP – Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner, MDOT State Highway Administration
Molly Porter is a Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner with the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA), Office of Planning and Preliminary Engineering (OPPE), Regional and Intermodal Planning Division (RIPD). She received her master’s degree in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati and has been working at MDOT SHA since 2022. Her job responsibilities include assisting with the implementation of transportation and safety planning initiatives including MDOT SHA’s Context Driven and Access and Mobility for all Users Guide.
Presentation: Vision Zero
Maryland is committed to eliminating traffic-related serious injuries and fatalities, a strategy known as Vision Zero. Federal, state, and local agencies are working together with the public to review safety, identify strategies to reduce crashes, and enhance livability for Marylanders. Molly will address SHA’s contributions to the Vision Zero effort, including the initiation of Context Driven, which provides a framework for roadway design and creates an actionable plan to improve roadway safety by balancing access and mobility throughout Maryland.
Presenter: Douglas (Doug) Mowbray – Data Program Manager, Maryland Highway Safety Office
Doug Mowbray has served the Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office for nearly 15 years in the role of Traffic Records Program Manager and Safety Data Analyst. He manages a federal grant program to support the improvement of and access to datasets related to motor vehicle crashes and other traffic safety issues. He is the Maryland Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC) Facilitator and serves as Chair for the Crash Data Accessibility TRCC Subcommittee. Doug and his wife, son, two cats, and four chickens reside in Harford County where he and his family are involved in environmental sustainability efforts. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Towson University in English and Professional Writing and is a published poet and multi-media artist
Presentation: Fatal Crash Dashboard
The Maryland Department of the State Police (MDSP) and the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MVA) Highway Safety Office recently launched a fatal crash dashboard on the Office’s Zero Deaths Maryland website. The Fatal Crash Dashboard provides a self-guided data visualization of incidents in Maryland from 2016 to present day where a motor vehicle crash resulted in a fatal injury. The dashboard was developed with a wide range of an audience in mind to achieve a Vision of Zero Deaths on Maryland roadways.
Presenter: Chester Harvey – Director, Transportation Policy Research Group, National Center for Smart Growth
Chester Harvey directs the Transportation Policy Research Group at the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth, where his research bridges transportation and urban design to investigate how walkability can be better planned for and measured. Chester holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, he led the Data Science group at Alta Planning and Design.
Presentation: Walkable Urban Design
Chester will summarize ongoing research at the National Center for Smart Growth about walkable urban design and its implications for multimodal transportation and placemaking. This includes work predicting how walkable design around Metrorail stations impacts ridership and examining inequitable access to walkable streetscapes within Maryland. Through these examples, the Walkinar will discuss how the designs of buildings and spaces alongside streets impact walkers and how design guidelines may be used to support.
October 26, 2023
Walkinar #4 – Pedestrian Equity
Presenter: Michael Rodriguez, AICP – Director of Research, Smart Growth America
Michael Rodriguez conducts and oversees quantitative and qualitative research through Smart Growth America’s (SGA) many research initiatives. His expertise is in the fiscal and economic impacts of transportation and infrastructure projects, especially with regard to smart growth and walkability. Michael is co-author of numerous publications including “Foot Traffic Ahead 2023,” a statistical survey of walkable urbanism in the U.S. At SGA, Michael has worked with dozens of communities assessing the fiscal impacts of development and has led benefit-cost analysis and technical assistance for those seeking federal grants such as RAISE and CRISI. He brings more than 14 years of professional urbanism experience to SGA from roles at top real estate, research, and transportation organizations. As a resident of Tysons Corner, Virginia, Michael promotes smart growth in one of the fastest growing regions in the country. He holds a dual MPA and an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is currently a PhD doctoral dissertator in Public Policy at George Washington University.
Presentation: Dangerous by Design
SGA has produced a continuous series called “Dangerous by Design” where they use federal data to develop a data-driven ranking of the most dangerous places for pedestrians in the U.S. Pedestrian deaths are rising consistently and certain states in the U.S. fare much worse than others. Vulnerable communities are at high risk for pedestrian death. This presentation discusses the methods of that report, the results, and implications for policy.
Presenter: Matt Johnson, AICP – Bikeways Coordinator, Montgomery County Department of Transportation
Matt Johnson, AICP is a Capital Project Manager and the Bikeways Coordinator for the Division of Transportation Engineering at the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. He has 15 years of experience working in planning and project management in Montgomery County. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Community Planning from the University of Maryland College Park.
Presentation:
Matt’s presentation will give an overview of Montgomery County’s efforts to develop a toolkit to improve not just the designs of roads, sidewalks, and transit stops for people with vision disabilities, but also the planning and design processes to enhance their ability to provide feedback. Montgomery County is committed to eliminating roadway deaths by 2030, and pedestrians with vision disabilities are among the most vulnerable road users. Learn about the new design tools Montgomery County is using to make it easier and safer for them to get around the county.
Presenter: Charles L. Marohn, Jr., Founder and President of Strong Towns, Author
Charles Marohn, known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues, is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a civil engineer and a land use planner with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota. Chuck is the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity (Wiley, 2019), and of Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town (Wiley, 2021). He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns web content. He has presented Strong Towns concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. Planetizen, a planning-related website and e-learning platform based in Los Anfeles, named him one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time.
[1] See the NTSA and FHWA’s Highway Safety Program’s website for an abundance of resources related to pedestrian and bicycle safety plans including Complete Streets, Proven Safety Countermeasures, Safety Data Analysis Tools, and more.
[2] Please note, to receive AICP credit participants must attend a live broadcast.
Maryland Planning Blog