Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/21474

The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) is administered by the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). It is a campus-wide initiative that harnesses the expertise of UMD faculty and the energy and ingenuity of UMD students to help Maryland communities become more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. PALS is designed to provide innovative, low-cost assistance to local governments while creating real-world problem-solving experiences for University of Maryland graduate and undergraduate students.

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    BWI-Patapsco Greenway
    (Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2016) Dalal, Avantika; Franklin, Joshua; Poole, Jason; Ren, Jen; Robinson, Laura; Ellis, Christopher D.
    The proposed Patapsco Greenway Exchange would serve to connect the Patapsco Valley State Park, the BWI Transportation Zone, and the Baltimore Metropolitan. It is designed to do so for users of all ages and abilities while increasing overall access to DNR property along the way. This path would serve as a catalyst for economic development by opening up access to natural sport and leisure opportunities as well as providing educational programming to the region. This book details the paths masterplan as designed by a team of graduate students of landscape architecture at the University of Maryland. Many alternative routes were examined and considered. Final decisions were chosen in order to maximize the use of existing infrastructure, providing accommodating access to pedestrians and bicyclists alike while avoiding unnecessary costs. Such usage includes the following: (1) The path crosses over both Stony Run Creek and the Amtrak railway via Stoney Run Rd over a wide shoulder on the right side of the road. (2) Route 295 is crossed via a shoulder on Ridge Rd. (3) A tight underpass on Furnace Ave. which runs below the Amtrak railway is used for safe crossing. The project team has proposed that the road immediately surrounding the tunnel be converted into a two way, traffic light controlled, one lane pass. The other lane would become a shared use path for pedestrians and bicyclists. There are few areas where new infrastructure is suggested (aside from the typical asphalt paths that would be required for off-road pedestrian and bicyclist use), mainly an apx. 450-500 feet of boardwalk along the Halethorpe zone, as well as a small track between Elkridge and Furnace Ave and a small proposed connection to the boardwalk near the MDOT headquarters off of Corporate Center Dr. The scope of this project would require consideration from several stakeholders which include the Anne Arundel County Department of Planning and Zoning, the Anne Arundel County Department of Parks and Recreation, the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning, the Howard County Department of Parks and Recreation, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Maryland Department of Transportation.