Welcome

Welcome to the website of the Maryland Department of Planning (or MDP for short). Planning.Maryland.gov is your portal to smart growth and planning in Maryland.

MDP is presented in seven main tabs on the website: Home, Our Work, Our Products, Your Part, Redistricting, Historical Trust and Data Center.

The Home tab is the "dashboard" to the website. The latest news, new products and publications, press releases and upcoming events are featured in this area. Access to our online services and job postings are also found here. The scrolling banner area is constantly updated with the latest additions to the site. There is also a link to the website dedicated to PlanMaryland, the state's plan for sustainable growth.

"Our Work" presents the programmatic work that MDP is involved in. It can be followed through three tracks: Smart Growth, which covers our work with local planning; Analysis Growth, which covers statistical and modeling analysis; and State Clearinghouse, which reviews applications for financial and non-financial assistance projects in Maryland to ensure consistency with State and local laws, regulations and guidelines. Each track leads to our functional work and provides links to publications, reports, interactive maps and other resources. Direct access to MDP's maps, publications and reports and to the Maryland State Data Center is provided under "Our Products". If it is an information resource, you will find it here.

The "Your Part" tab is, a portal to interactive public involvement. "Inform Us" and "Be Informed" are the main themes in this tab. Visitors will be able to see upcoming events in the MDP calendar, post planning events and meetings to the calendar, read the comprehensive plans in their area and learn about their local planning department. We will continually add new tools.

The "Redistricting" tab contains maps and data for the 2011 and 2012 Legislative districts, the culmination of the planning and analysis that followed the 2010 Census and the requirement that political districts reflect population changes identified by the Census. Background information as well as maps and data from prior district plans may also be found here.

The two remaining tabs, "Historical Trust" and "Data Center", are quick links to the Maryland Historical Trust and the Maryland State Data Center websites, each of which operates under MDP and has its own rich program, data and information resources.

At MDP, we study the challenges and help to seek solutions for the future landscape of Maryland. It is my sincerest hope that the pages in this website will inform and inspire you to take part in this effort. I invite you navigate these resources and share your thoughts.

As Secretary, I believe that the challenge of growing sustainable, vibrant communities while preserving our treasured agricultural, recreational and water resources is an achievable endeavor. The Maryland of tomorrow is conceived in the decisions we make today. My talented staff and I are eager to serve the State of Maryland enabling people to make decisions in their communities that enhance the quality of life and protect the natural environment.

Sincerely,

Richard Eberhart Hall, AICP, Secretary
Maryland Department of Planning