Author: Maryland Department of Planning

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Has Developed a Tool for Assessing the Value of Land Across Maryland

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Resources and Tools

Have you ever thought about, much less tried to assess, the economic benefits that open spaces and various types of natural ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and riparian zones have in non-development terms? How does one begin to quantify and put a price tag on carbon sequestration, flood mitigation, wildlife habitat or oxygen production? These are the questions that a powerful tool developed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) aims to answer. Continue reading →

2020 Decennial Census: It’s Important, Easy and Safe

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Planning in Progress

Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution states that “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States … according to their respective Numbers … The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years.” With those words, the American system of government established the Census, a decennial (every ten years) counting and description of our population. The 1790 Census, our first, established a national population of 3,929,214. The most recent, in 2010, upped that figure to 308,700,000; a close to eight fold increase! To ensure we are planning for Maryland’s communities today and of tomorrow, everyone must get a full and accurate count in the 2020 census.   Continue reading →

Commerce Subcabinet Recognizes Regional Resources

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Planning in Progress

If the feedback received during the development of the new state development plan, A Better Maryland, taught us anything, it is that Marylanders desire a regional approach to planning. Maryland may be small in size, but it has large regional distinctions. The planning needs and objectives of Western Maryland differ from those along the I-95 corridor, and the community development goals of the Eastern Shore necessitate an approach unique from what one might find in Southern Maryland. These distinctions are one of Maryland’s greatest assets, and the Commerce Subcabinet recognizes and wants to maximize this strength. Continue reading →

A Central Depository for Local Planning in Maryland

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Planning in Progress

The heart of planning beats locally.  Maryland is a Home Rule State, which means it entrusts local jurisdictions with land use planning authority to guide growth and development through the Land Use Article of the Maryland Annotated Code. Developing local technical assistance rather than regulation, listening as opposed to telling, Planning works with jurisdictions to achieve their own community development objectives. Continue reading →

Meet the Staff: Emem Udo-Inyang

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Meet the Planning Staff

Emem Udo-Inyang joined the Maryland Department of Planning in late 2018 as Outreach Coordinator for the Maryland 2020 Census effort. A native of Nigeria, Emem was born in Hong Kong and raised in Havana, Cuba. He received a bachelor’s degree from Cameron University in Oklahoma and a master’s in International Affairs from the University of Baltimore. Emem previously worked as a program coordinator at Lutheran Social Services, a refugee settlement agency located in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he provided various services to both refugees and asylees who had been forced to flee their war-torn home countries. Continue reading →

Planning Commissioner Training Course at Maryland Municipal League Conference, June 23 in Ocean City

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MPCA Corner

A Maryland Planning Commissioners Association sponsored training class.

The Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) and Planning are hosting a free Planning Commissioner Training Course (PCTC) at the Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference in Ocean City on Sunday, June 23. Continue reading →

Regional Planner Recognized for her Tireless Work

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Planning Assistance in Action

Back in November of 2018, Planning wrote a newsletter article about the department’s work on the WalkWicomcio project. Tracey Gordy, one of the department’s Regional Planners for the Lower Eastern Shore, spearheaded the department’s role in that effort, and her dedication has been noticed! As part of Wicomico County’s recognition of National Public Health Week (April 1-7), the County Health Department awarded Tracey the 2019 Outstanding Public Health Leader Award. Tracey received her award at a Salisbury University ceremony on April 3. Continue reading →