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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Item New Market Plains Vineyard Redesign(Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2018) Wilke, Audrey; Lipka, Evan; Duley, Olivia; Fields, Allison; Manning, Mia; Meilman, Jessica; Pajaro, Heyner; Young, Ryan; Garcia, Catherine; Barnes, Marquis; Smith, Abigail; Schaum, Evan-Claire; Harrington, Maria; Jackson, Jovan; MacSorley, Linda; Remesch, Greg; Greenhawk, Rachel; Nola, Dennis; Ferguson, KatieNew Market Plains Vineyard is situated on a 260+ acre farm in the town of New Market within Fredrick County, Maryland. The town of New Market and the owners of New Market Plains Vineyard, in coordination with the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) and undergraduate Landscape Architecture students at the University of Maryland, are interested in developing the site to support and expand amenities available to visitors. Because the property has been in the family since its acquisition in 1747, the owners have a strong tie to the land and hope to continually display its historical significance and interpretive natural systems as part of the project, as they expand the event potential and expanded operations of the winery. The town of New Market is interested in promoting tourism and sharing in the rich history of the site. The site is impacted by highway noise, rock outcroppings, invasive plant species and some hydric soils. The attributes include vistas to the surrounding countryside, abundant water supply, meadows, grasslands, forest, elevation and exposure suitable for growing grapes, and excellent public access. To approach this project, four design teams were tasked with identifying the site’s opportunities and constraints with a focus on historic qualities, natural systems, and expanding vineyard operations. Each team expanded on these opportunities and constraints, some placing emphasis on business operations and others on historic value and educational opportunities. Using this analysis of the existing site conditions, the teams developed individual design programs of what elements they felt would best realize the property’s full potential. The teams made two visits to the site over the course of the project, to locate and identify areas of significance to their designs. Halfway through the design process the teams delivered an interim presentation to the vineyard owners; to receive feedback on the direction their work was taking. Using this review the teams completed their final designs, which include a master plan for the site, an enlarged plan for the main winery complex, and a grading plan for a new underground wine storage facility. The size of the site facilitated the implementation of nature trails of varying difficulty, which each team has incorporated in their design. Each individual member of the class also participated in a competition to design the new entry sign for the vineyard. The winning sign was designed by Rachel Greenhawk and is displayed on the cover of this document. Compiled in this booklet are the materials produced by the teams over the duration of this project. The results are a diverse and innovative selection of proposals, with the goal of serving as an examination of possibilities for future development. These designs provide the owners with various suggestions for how to restore their property and to elevate New Market Plains Vineyards into a thriving local destination.Item Making Place: Transit-Oriented Development for Largo, MD(Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2019) Ahmed, Mansoor; Combs, William; Lorenza, Dan; Ohakawa, Tochi; Schmitz, Jared; Sparks, Amanda; Walker, Andrew; Winters, Kelsey; Cain, Rachel; Grady, Hannah; Hassup, Collin; Mazer, Andrew; Peters, Taina; Robbs, Amber; Paris, Gojin; Deane, Sim; Townsend, Sim Deane; Urdaneta, Victoria; Bell, Mathew; Guiraldes, Pablo; Calleri, ChristianLargo, MD is a city of 12,000 people at the intersection of the Beltway and the Metropolitan DC Blue Line. It is currently being planned as the future center of the Prince George’s County Government and the home of the new University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center. The overall site has exceptional access to transit and offers myriad ways to travel but in itself lacks appeal as a “place”. It has developed as a suburban “Edge City” on the outskirts of the District of Columbia, a simple automobile-oriented pit stop in-between the jobs and sights of the national capital and the dwellings of those who work and visit. As part of the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), The Prince George’s County Department of Planning approached the University of Maryland’s Program in Architecture with a request to investigate the Largo metro site as a more fully realized transit-oriented development hosting a full mix of uses, from the new seat of the county’s government to the new hospital and residential development. The studio focused on questions of place, development, and identity while grappling with the fragmented pattern of development that currently defines Largo. The studio proposals demonstrate the potential of a new identity for the area using transit oriented design principles, restoration of the natural environment, and making Largo a “green jewel of a town” at the heart of Prince George’s County.Item Piscataway Valley Greenway(Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2019) Gray, Lauren; Jones, Alison; Mallory, Jonathan; Podietz, Emma; Samoray, Christopher; Sullivan, William; Whitley, Yuki; Myers, David N.Piscataway Watershed encompasses approximately 67.6 square miles in southern Maryland just north and adjacent to the Mattawoman Watershed. The main stem of Piscataway Creek, centered in the watershed, flows approximately 20 miles from the upper creeks near Rosaryville, Woodyard and Joint Base Andrews west to Piscataway Bay - enframed by Mockley Point on the south and Fort Washington on the north and opening to the Potomac River below Washington, D.C. across from Mt. Vernon, Virgina. Other tributaries within the Piscataway Watershed include Tinkers Creek, Dower House Branch, Burch Branch, Butler Branch and many numerous smaller tributaries. Occupied by humans dating over 4000 years ago, some of the old and new place names include Clinton, Rosaryville, Woodyard, Piscataway, Accokeek, Thrift, Windbrook, Brooke Jane Manor, Cheltenham, Williamsburg Estates, and Fort Washington Forest. Roads spoking from greater DC and more developed middle Prince George’s County mainly cross Piscataway Creek going north to south and include Indian Head Highway, Livingston Road, Piscataway Road, Brandywine Road, Branch Avenue (Route 5) and Surratts Road. Significant parks within or adjacent to Piscataway Watershed include Louise F. Cosca Regional Park (MNCPPC), Fort Washington (NPS), Rosaryville State Park (DNR), and multiple properties that comprise Piscataway Creek Stream Valley Park (MNCPPC). Portions of the originally planned trails proposed in the Prince George’s County Trails Master Plan have been conceptually located along the spine of Piscataway Creek. The main segment of this concept trail from Indian Head Highway to Rosaryville is 99% in the floodplain. In addition, it was conceptualized at a time that some of the development patterns in the watershed had not occurred. The criteria for trail alignment have changed over the decades. Some of the overarching questions as the students explored the project were: ● Should the entire trail or segments of it be realigned out of the floodplain? ● Should there be additional cross trail connections in the scope of work? ● How can we better connect neighborhoods to a proposed trail system? ● How can we encourage hiking to promote health and stewardship?Item User Research for Youth Sports Division Website: Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation(2019) Asamoah, Michael; Dubon, Bryan; Nguyen, Bryan; Teng, Richard; Panzer, Richard; Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS)In the last legislative session, a new Maryland law was passed addressing youth sports delivery that presents an exciting new challenge for the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation. The Department is in the process of establishing a new division to meet this challenge while continuing to deliver a wide variety of sports through in-house programs and with partnership organizations. The new Division will feature “one stop shopping” enabling community members to to view schedules, register their children, and learn about opportunities for engagement. This project’s survey was developed to gather community input to that can inform what content would best serve users.Item Fitness Portal Needs and Feasibility Assessment for M-NCPPC Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation(2019) Luff, Joseph; Mahdi, Tofik; Ross, Lyndon; Shimanov, Aaron; Wesneski, Nicole; Rainsford, TJ; Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS)The Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Department is seeking to develop an online portal to deliver fitness content. This report presents an initial needs and feasibility assessment of the opportunities and challenges that setting up a portal would involve. The report also includes information on how a portal could be implemented.Item A Long Life for Long Branch: Tools to Preserve Independent Retailers(2019) Anderson-Watters, Carrie; Brinley, Anna; Duggan, Will; Kortesoja, Ellen; Murnen, Lily; Nye, Kari; Boone, BobbyThrough their work with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, the Montgomery County Planning Department commissioned this report from the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS). PALS works with local jurisdictions throughout Maryland to identify projects and problems that can be taught through university courses where students focus on developing innovative, research-based solutions. Long Life for Long Branch: Tools to Preserve Independent Retailers is the result of a graduate urban planning and studies class initiated under the course heading, “Preserving Community Value of Ethnically Diverse Retailers in Long Branch.” Long Branch, Maryland is a neighborhood at the threshold of rapid change with the construction of the Purple Line transit rail. Preserving the community value of businesses ultimately comes down to preserving opportunity for the businesses themselves. Building upon previous studies and ongoing community- and County-led efforts, the course evolved to focus on an inclusive economic development strategy that would make use of zoning, financing, technical support, and real estate development to retain and grow Long Branch businesses into the future.Item Drainage Solutions(Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2019) Geils, Ryan; Johnson, Tyler; Wildt, Jason; Rinehart, GeoffThe purpose of this document is to provide a drainage plan for the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation that establishes the purpose and reasoning for implementing new drainage technologies that use the most cost-effective treatment options. This report is based on drainage analysis tests performed at two County golf courses—Paint Branch Golf Complex, a nine-hole, par 33 course and practice facility, and Enterprise Golf Course, an 18-hole facility, par 72 championship course. This report and proposal contains: a site analysis of each golf course initial findings in our visits the analysis and results of two separate soil tests a list of the most effective and available drainage options the recommended drainage option.Item Changing Landscapes: Farmsteads & Resort Towns(2019) Baum, Sara; Davenport, Grace; Duan, Amy; Graham, Josette; Jockel, Kathleen; Martin, Veronica; Schlossenberg, Tamara; Tariq, Hassan; Nasta, Paula JarrettIn the Fall semester of 2019, the University of Maryland Historic Preservation Studio class worked with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in Prince George’s County through the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) program. The purpose of the partnership was to create a heritage trail linking the communities of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven in southern Prince George’s County.Item Tree Planting in Prince George’s County, Maryland: Case Studies and Benefits Assessment in Four Parks(Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2019) Allen, Tobias; Allsopp, Millie; Burkhardt, Ian; Ebinama, Nnamdi; Escobar, Antonio; Kisakye, Ian; Martin, Bryn; Moody, Kelsey; Pajaro, Heyner; Ren, Xiaojin; Rodrigo, Karisha; Rosales, Ante; Santaella, Diego; Savio, Hannah; Serra, Lucia; Steinthal, Caitlin; Stokes, Bridget; Wellnitz, Shane; Wilke, Audrey; Myers, David N.The benefits of trees and forests and the ecosystems services that they provide is well documented. Ecosystems services include carbon sequestration, stormwater retention, water pollution reduction, air pollution retention and others. In addition, tree planting efforts provide numerous social benefits including improvement of community cohesion, increase in social capital, and environmental stewardship and education. In order to provide a greater understanding of tree planting efforts and assessing tree benefits locally, two major project components were undertaken: 1) the research and documentation using case studies of individual tree planting efforts, and 2) assessment of benefits of recent and proposed trees for four selected parks in Prince George’s county.Item Redlining in Prince George’s County, Maryland(Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2019) Cheng, Edward; Kim, Bo; Martinez, Angela; Thapa, Mimika; Thomas, Lauren; Rainsford, TJThe project goal was to provide the Prince George’s Planning Department with geographic information regarding historical redlining in the County. Redlining is the act of denying a person the ability to buy property or a house within a specific area due to their race or ethnicity. This project allowed us to understand the impact that redlining has on Prince George’s County. In PGAtlas.com, we obtained county addresses and their associated plat numbers to look up subdivision plats. We scanned property deeds that accompany subdivision plats to see if there were any deed restrictions that might indicate redlining. We compiled a data table of 15 redlined addresses in the County and provided map entries for a story map on the ArcGis story map. The story map helps show how certain areas in the County were targeted with redlining in the 1890s through the 1940s. In addition, the story map outlines the history of redlining in other areas and how Prince George’s County is one of many communities to have been affected. Our contacts for the project were Prince George’s County Planning Department staff, Dr. Jennifer Stabler and Karen Mierow. We also worked with Kimberly Fisher and Lily Murnen of the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) program. Our project required understanding both clients’ goals and objectives to achieve a final product agreed on by both parties.