National Center for Smart Growth

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/21472

The National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) works to advance the notion that research, collaboration, engagement and thoughtful policy development hold the key to a smarter and more sustainable approach to urban and regional development. NCSG is based at the University of Maryland, College Park, housed under the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, with support from the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the School of Public Policy, and the Office of the Provost.

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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.
Farm to Fork: Opportunities and Constraints
(Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2017) DiBernardo, Danielle; Lin, Jiawen; Luo, Zidan; Mishra, Satvik; Sanchez, Nick; Wang, Di; Gottwals, James Philip
Our team devised a three-stage system to implement a food distribution network to serve Anne Arundel County clients including private retailers, public institutions such as schools and hospitals, and eventually privately-owned restaurants. The goal is to maximize the supply of locally sourced produce for customers as the demand for local food continues to rise. This program would create a more economically efficient food distributor that would also generate GroupGAP funding through price premiums only from out-of-county participants. GroupGAP is a USDA farm food safety program that provides the entire specialty crops industry the opportunity to supply and buy fruits, vegetables, and related products that are certified as being produced using Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Stage 1 will serve as the pilot program, to satisfy the needs of one small buyer. If successful, this will serve as proof of concept, and will be a model for how to grow and improve to take on more customers. An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system will be developed during this phase as the foundation of the infrastructure for the business model. The operation’s logistical needs will be met using a jobbers driving service. During Stage 2, the pilot’s success will be highlighted to attract new clients, particularly farms both inside and outside Anne Arundel County. In this phase, the ERP’s development would reach functional completion, allowing most optimization economics to be automated. Through licensing and LLC partnership funding, the program will use the capital generated to develop infrastructure, increase marketing initiatives, and further GroupGAP subsidization. The marketing plan will expand at this stage to entice new buyers by demonstrating the proof-of-concept price transparency and supply parity pilot run. After sufficient growth, in Stage 3 we estimate the program will be developed enough to meet the demand schedules of much larger institutions such as the County’s public schools and hospitals’ patient and non-patient demands. By this time, the optimization between local supply and demand would be fully automated in the ERP. Full-time supply chain specialists will work with farmers to determine yield expectations and quality control through the GroupGAP program.
Glen Burnie Town Center Placemaking
(Partnership for Action Learning Sustainability (PALS), 2024-05) Austin, Lillian; Cedeno, Isabel; Craig, Spencer; Garlow, Caitlin; Hernandez, Felix; Kremer, Erin; Rasmussen, Kelly; Sweeney, Laura; Whalen, Evan; Kweon, Byoung-Suk
Glen Burnie Town Center is located at the intersection of Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard and Crain Highway, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The Town Center is surrounded by a suburban neighborhood and in close proximity to the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, a 13-mile paved biking and walking trail along a former railroad track. Glen Burnie Town Center is a state and county priority for revitalization and redevelopment. The scope for this design project included the plaza, the parking garage, and the streetscape that connects the two.
Greater Baybrook Green Network Plan: A community vision plan for increasing connectivity and enhancing green assets
(Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2022) Stokes, Bridget; Kweon, Byoung-Suk; Kweon, Byoung-Suk
The Green Network Plan was designed by determining ongoing investment strategies in the neighborhood, evaluating opportunities and constraints, and analyzing demographics, park equity, environmental justice, and other current site conditions. This green network plan can be used as a guide for creating community priorities for short-term and long-term development related to economic and environmental sustainability. The goal of this Green Network Plan is to enhance and strengthen the community of the Greater Baybrook by connecting the area’s green infrastructure into a unified network of safe and vibrant neighborhoods. It is a Vision Plan for how the neighborhood can enhance its existing natural resources and grow its infrastructure to improve the health and well-being of residents. It has been widely researched that communities with green infrastructure have increased economic, environmental, and social benefits (EPA, 2014). This increased exposure to the natural environment promotes physical health (McCurdy, 2010), mental well-being (Kaplan, 1995), and social connectivity (Jennings, 2019).
Maryland’s Missing Middle Housing
(Partnership for Action Learning Sustainability (PALS), 2024-05) Eldadah, Samaa; Carter, Niambi; Dawkins, Casey
As Maryland localities struggle to meet the demand for a diversity of housing types at a range of income levels, the predominance of detached single-family zoning constrains available land for building new housing and limits the expansion of the housing supply. In this context, local governments have considered zoning change in detached single-family neighborhoods to better accommodate missing middle housing. As of May 2024, however, there have been no significant zoning changes to accommodate missing middle housing in single-family neighborhoods. However, counties are planning for future upzoning initiatives to increase density in residential neighborhoods through comprehensive plans. This report compiles lessons learned from four counties—Montgomery, Frederick, Anne Arundel, and Howard—about successes and challenges in preparing for upzoning to accommodate missing middle housing. These counties employ a range of strategies to address the market and political challenges to upzoning. Lessons learned from counties include using small area planning and zoning overlays, building political will through extensive stakeholder engagement, and offering incentives to developers to build missing middle housing.