All of us who live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are linked to the Bay by many pathways. Whether we live right on the water or miles from the Chesapeake, our actions have a profound effect on the Bay. More
“Reclaim the Chesapeake Bay” Public Awareness Campaign
February 27, 2013
Environmental Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Environment, governor o'malley, Maryland, md septics law, Mid-Atlantic 1 Comment
One river, eight words
June 11, 2012
Septics Chesapeake Bay, governor o'malley, Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, patuxent river, richard hall, Senator Bernie Fowler, Steny Hoyer Leave a comment
Bernie Fowler, the former Calvert County commissioner and Maryland state senator, told his father as a young man that he had no desire to go into politics or to sell whiskey for a living. He did the former, didn’t do the latter. He also didn’t say he ever wanted to go into public relations, but you had to marvel at his ability as a pitchman Sunday when he attracted 250 people in mid-90 degree weather to St. Leonard to pay tribute to a … river. More
Tallying up GamePlanMaryland
April 27, 2012
Comprehensive Plans, Land Use, Planning, Smart Growth, State Growth Plan GamePlanMaryland, governor o'malley Leave a comment
More than 1,300 folks have “played” GamePlanMaryland since we launched it last December. It’s a sim game to help communicate the trade-offs in more sustainable land-use. If you want generous parking areas, for example, you’re likely to face greater pollution from the runoff from all the impervious surface. And it’s hard to have both quieter neighborhoods and better transit access simultaneously, since public transit is prohibitively expensive when people are spread out. With the help of the design firm MetroQuest, we wanted to show the “guns versus butter” theory of environmental planning: To gain something, you probably have to give up something. We launched the app the week that Governor O’Malley accepted “PlanMaryland” as the first growth plan for the state of Maryland toward the end of last year. We have visited every county in the state since then to work with local governments on mapping for PlanMaryland. We are also working with other state agencies so they can align their approach toward smarter growth during the coming year.
A planner, a developer and a land-use advocate walk into a … study
January 20, 2012
Comprehensive Plans, Land Use, Planning, Smart Growth Chesapeake Bay, governor o'malley, Maryland State Builders Association, NAIOP, National Center for Smart Growth, planmaryland, smart growth, Urban Land Institute, urban planning 2 Comments
The National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park, issued a report this week that concluded the smart growth framework that Maryland put in place more than a decade ago has been insufficient and offered suggestions for improvement.
“Barriers to Development Inside Priority Funding Areas: Perspectives of Planners, Developers, and Advocates” was based on interviews with 47 Maryland planners, developers and land-use advocates. More
Governor O’Malley on “the war on sprawl”
October 27, 2011
Housing, Planning, Population, Smart Growth Chesapeake Bay, Development plan, governor o'malley, martin o'malley, Maryland, maryland department of planning, maryland general assembly, planmaryland, smart growth, sustainability, urban planning Leave a comment
Govenor O'Malley at PlanMaryland forum
Governor O’Malley discussed PlanMaryland with The Atlantic Cities blog, which describes itself as exploring “the most innovative ideas and pressing issues facing today’s global cities and neighborhoods.” A sample from today’s interview:
PlanMaryland isn’t something we’re doing for current residents. PlanMaryland is something we’re doing for our children. If 40 years ago we had actually implemented a statewide development plan, you might have a very different state now. You’d have a very different Baltimore city right now. You’d have a Chesapeake Bay that’s not fighting for her health year after year. This is something we have to do in order for our kids to be able to enjoy a quality of life here, and be part of this living system called the Chesapeake Bay.
Read more of Eric Jaffe’s interview.
The Anacostia River’s Great Outdoors
October 27, 2011
Bike trails, Smart Growth, Transportation Anacostia, AnacostiaRiver, Ben Cardin, environmental, governor o'malley, Maryland, watershed restoration 1 Comment
Its website touts “Get away from automobile traffic and experience nature!” One of the most significant stream renewal projects in the entire Mid-Atlantic, the Anacostia River is a fully functional and economically thriving river system. To achieve restoration of the Anacostia watershed will take more than merely cleaning up the river. This is a partnership of local, state and federal agencies working toward community revitalization efforts in the watershed and adjacent Port Towns. More
“There Was A City Here”
June 27, 2010
Smart Growth baltimore, congress for new urbanism, governor o'malley, state center, tod 2 Comments
Not long after I joined the Maryland Department of Planning, I came across a wall poster of the building where the agency is headquartered, only it didn’t have a picture of the current State Office Building and surrounding state complex but antique photographs of the neighborhood that used to exist at this site. It was captioned, “Before State Center … There Was a City Here.” More