Newsletter
Maryland PlannerThe newsletter for the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association.
View the latest issue: Fall 2011
2012 AICP Exam Review Webinar Series
2012 Planning Webcast Series
Earn Up To 48 CM Credits On Your Computer
2012 Planning Webcast Series
Sponsored by Chapters, Divisions and Universities
2012 CM Webcast Series schedule. For complete information on webcast visit: http://www.utah-apa.org/webcasts
All sessions are scheduled for 1 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern Time unless otherwise noted. Access for each presentation will begin at 12:50 pm eastern time.
CM credits are available with most offerings.
Shrinking City / Growing City: Baltimore´s Future?
The Maryland Chapter of APA partnered with American Institute of Architects Baltimore on October 12, 2011, to present a discussion on changing urban areas.
The presentations are available in pdf format.
- Building on Innovation (Tom Murphy)
- Baltimore in the Age of the Walk Score, Part 1 (David Dixon)
- Baltimore in the Age of the Walk Score, Part 2 (David Dixon)
See below for more information about the speakers.
Tom Murphy is a senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization that provides leadership in responsible land use and the creation of sustainable communities worldwide. Mr. Murphy was the mayor of Pittsburgh from 1994 to 2005, where he initiated public-private partnerships to convert more than 1,000 acres of blighted industrial properties to commercial, residential, retail and public uses. He also oversaw the development of more than 25 miles of new riverfront trails and urban green space. In recognition of these achievements, Mr. Murphy received the 2002 Outstanding Achievement of City Livability Award from the U..S. Conference of Mayors. Since 2006, he has contributed his expertise on urban revitalization to many ULI projects, and he serves as the Institute´s Gulf Coast Liaison.
David Dixon leads Goody Clancy’s Planning and Urban Design division. His work has won national awards from the American Institute of Architects, Congress for the New Urbanism, Society for College and University Planning, and American Society of Landscape Architects. The Boston Globe’s architecture critic hailed the “Civic Vision for Turnpike Air Rights in Boston” as Boston’s “most ambitious planning endeavor since Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace.” In 2007 David was honored with the AIA´s Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture for his achievements in support of the public sector.
David served as 2003 President of the Boston Society of Architects (the local AIA Chapter) and chair of the 2003 national conference on “Density: Myth and Reality.” He has been invited to speak about revitalizing America’s downtowns and neighborhoods by the AIA, the Mayor’s Institute for City Design, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Society for College and University Planning; served as a juror for the AIA’s Regional and Urban Design Honor Awards; and is one of five national advisors of the AIA’s Regional and Urban Design Committee. He writes frequently about urban issues, including recent chapters on university-sponsored revitalization (published by the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy and Great Cities Institute) and urban design issues related to homeland security (MIT Press). He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University, Master of Architecture from University of Pennsylvania, and Master of Urban Design from Harvard University.
Report on Comprehensive Planning in Maryland
The Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association received an APA Chapter Presidents Council Grant. The Chapter used this grant to conduct workshops on considering the future of comprehensive planning in Maryland in November and December, 2008. Four workshops were conducted, one in each of the Chapter’s four regions: Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and Metro Area. In addition, the Chapter’s Executive Committee convened a work session to discuss the responses collected during the workshops.
The Maryland Chapter’s Executive Committee used the results of the four workshops and the work session to formulate the Chapter’s position on several bills proposed in the Maryland House of Representatives and the Senate during the General Assembly’s 2009 legislative session. The four workshops and the work session provided the Chapter’s Executive Committee the background to support the Smart and Sustainable Growth Act. This act clarified the relationship between local comprehensive plans and local land use ordinances.
Report | Supplementary Information
Jenny Plummer-Welker, Past President: plummejl@co.cal.md.us
New Local Policy Guide Published by the Safe Routes to School National partnership
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is pleased to announce the release of a new publication entitled Safe Routes to School Local Policy Guide.
The Local Policy Guide was published to help local communities and schools create, enact and implement policies which will support active and healthy community environments that encourage safe walking and bicycling and physical activity by children through a “Health in All Policies” approach. The guide was made possible due to funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Public Health Association.
The Local Policy Guide highlights strategies to advance policy change and covers more than 20 policy change examples including: regional transportation plans, Complete Streets, fine based mechanisms, school bonds, crossing guards, health impact assessments, joint-use agreements, speed limits and more. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership’s Local Policy Guide was compiled through the help of more than a dozen leaders throughout the country who provided success stories and examples of local policy wins; we thank everyone who assisted for their help and contributions.
Deb Hubsmith, director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership says, “We are excited to bring this resource to the public, as we keep hearing that communities and schools need more examples of how to enact policy changes and develop new funding streams that will create healthy environments for children.”
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership plans to continue to catalog and publicize policy wins that promote Safe Routes to School. If you have an example, please email the details to Dave Cowan, program manager at dave@saferoutespartnership.org.
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a fast-growing network of more than 500 organizations, agencies, schools and professional groups working to set goals, share best practices, leverage infrastructure and program funding and advance policy change to help agencies that implement Safe Routes to School. Our mission is to advocate for safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities. For more information, visit www.saferoutespartnership.org.
Christine Shenot is the Maryland SRTS Network Organizer. She can be reached at maryland@saferoutespartnership.org.
Dialogues on the Future and Chapter´s Annual Meeting
The Chapter´s annual meeting was held in conjunction with a workshop titled "Dialogues on the Future" at the Prince George´s Sports & Learning Complex in Landover, MD, on June 3, 2011.
Agenda and Presentations (where available)
Planners as Communicators Workshop
On May 20, 2011, the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association presented "Putting the Pieces Together: Planners as Communicators," a one-day workshop led by Ron Thomas, AICP, a nationally recognized planner and expert in stakeholder involvement. The Keynote speaker was, Carolyn Lukensmeyer, founder of America Speaks. In addition, Kate Cullen, a professional mediator and Helen Spinelli, AICP, Chief of Environmental Planning at Queen Anne’s County conducted a session on Mediation and Dispute Resolution.
Agenda. Strategic Listening presentation.
2011 Regional Conference, Cumberland, Maryland
The Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia Chapters of the American Planning Association (APA) held a very successful regional conference focused on planning issues facing the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian regions on May 5-6 in Cumberland, Maryland.
The conference theme--Breaking New Ground: Partnerships for Building Sustainable Communities--coincided with the celebration of the Nation’s first major infrastructure project and the precursor to the Federal-Aid Highway System – the National Road. The first segment of the Road linking Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia was begun in Cumberland.
View speakers and presentations.
News from Morgan State University
News from Sidney Wong, Chapter Faculty Representative from Morgan State University
Morgan planning student Cheryl Montgomery was awarded the Land Use Planning Scholarship by the National Forum of Black Administrators. She will go to Chicago on April 19 to receive the award. The amount of the fellowship is $4,000.
Last year, another Morgan planning student, Judith Howerton, was awarded a Fulbright fellowship on her master thesis research. She is now doing her fieldwork in Senegal, Africa.
Connecting Youth to Planning Initiative, 2010
October 2010 was National Community Planning Month and from October 21 to October 28th, professional planners from the public and private sector, as well as students and faculty from the Urban Studies and Planning Program visited schools in Anne Arundel County (Annapolis High School), Baltimore City (Civitas High School, the Waldorf School of Baltimore, and Edmondson High School and Patterson High School (combined)), Montgomery County (Wheaton High School) and Prince George’s County (Parkdale High School) to talk about planning and demonstrate the tools and techniques of the profession.
In total, we met with over 130 high school students across six schools. The goal was to show what planners do, engage students in planning issues, and highlight opportunities in planning in terms of future studies and career opportunities. The event was sponsored by the Maryland APA Chapter and the Urban Studies and Planning Program at the University of Maryland with support from the Maryland Department of Planning.
View full report by Alex Chen, Associate Professor in the Urban Studies and Planning Program at the University of Maryland, College Park.
APA Designates Downtown Frederick One of the Top 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2010
The American Planning Association (APA) today announced the designation of downtown Frederick as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2010 under the organization’s Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.
The neighborhood was selected by APA for its treasure trove of historic properties from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries – which form one of the largest contiguous historic districts on the East Coast – along with its on-going planning, progressive government and engaged citizens.
Chapter Only Dues
The Maryland Chapter would like to offer all our members and others who want to join an opportunity to stay in touch with other planners throughout Maryland with a Chapter Only Membership. Since many organizations are cutting back we at the Chapter would like to offer this opportunity to join or continue your membership in the Maryland Chapter. Please also note that the $27.00 chapter fee has been the same since the mid 90’s. Please complete the form and send it to:
Helen M. Spinelli, AICP
Maryland Chapter APA Treasurer
Queen Anne’s County
160 Coursevall Drive
Centreville, Maryland 21617
News from the University of Maryland Urban Studies and Planning Program
Maryland Community Planning Initiative
In October, 2010, the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) and the Urban Studies and Planning Program at the University of Maryland will engage in a statewide effort, “The Maryland Community Planning Initiative” (MCPI) to introduce middle and high school students to the principles and practices of the planning profession.
With a toolbox of presentation materials and hands-on interactive activities, volunteer professional planners will visit the classroom and work with students so that they better understand where they live, the challenges and opportunities facing our communities, and how planners and the public can plan for today and the future. The results of the activity will be summarized and shared with the students.
We hope to post all the results on our Chapter website. At this time, we have tentative commitments from schools in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery as well as Prince George’s County, and awaiting to hear from more. We expect to finalize the list of schools by the end of June. At that point we will issue a call for planners who would be interested in participating in this effort. We have targeted the third week of October for this effort.
New Staff
David Cronrath has been named the next dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at the University of Maryland. He will begin his Maryland post on July 1. He is recognized as one of the ´Most Admired Architectural Educators of 2010.´ Cronrath, a registered architect, is currently dean of the Louisiana State University
(LSU) College of Art and Design. In Louisiana, Cronrath developed collaborations with environmental, engineering and business colleagues to help restore the Katrina-battered Lower Ninth Ward and to address the severe erosion that is rapidly damaging communities in the Mississippi Delta.
The Program is in the midst of hiring two new faculty who will have joint appointments with the Urban Studies and Planning Program and the National Center for Smart Growth. We expect to announce the new hires by the end of the summer.
Alex Chen
Urban Studies and Planning Program
School of Architecture #1200
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Chapter Newsletter
The Maryland Planner — our Chapter´s quarterly newsletter — has been digital since June 2007. Please look for a copy in your inbox (not your mailbox) or view it here on the web site. If you have not registered your e-mail contact with the Chapter, please do so as soon as possible.
Further, the newsletter is dependent upon input from our membership. If you would like to contribute an article for the next issue please contact our newsletter editor, Parag Agrawal at pzagra00@aacounty.org.
Executive Board Meetings
Maryland APA Executive Board Meetings are always open to the membership. Please feel free to attend anyone of our upcoming meetings! Check the Calendar of Events page for dates, times, and locations.
Chapter Listserv
Have something relevant to share with your fellow Maryland planners? Use the Chapter listserv, which is available only to Chapter members.
