by Andrew Ratner
2. February 2010 15:06
Here's a look at President Obama's proposed Fiscal Year 2011 federal budget from the perspective of staffers at the Maryland Department of Planning and its sister agencies:
Sustainable Communities Initiative: This interagency partnership, which is one of the pillars of the Administration’s place-based agenda, aims to lower the cost of living while improving the quality of life in local communities. It will do so by providing more coordinated housing and transportation options, improv...
[More]
by Andrew Ratner
2. February 2010 14:57
We're seeking a Webmaster to help develop and oversee the Maryland Department of Planning websites. The job would also involve developing and shaping a new site to help explain and foster feedback on a State Growth Plan that's being developed over the next year called PlanMaryland. We're making strides and have had some success with blogging, social networking and other new tools on our existing web sites, but we're hoping the PlanMaryland site sets the bar even higher for int...
[More]
by Andrew Ratner
29. January 2010 14:42
The Sustainable Communities Act of 2010 has a lot of moving parts -- detailed below. But it's an elegant and forward-looking solution to the expiring Heritage Structure Tax Credit Program, which has been immensely successful, but was criticized by some as disproportionately being available to jurisdictions with historic -- read: older -- properties such as Baltimore city.
In its re-tooled form under the Sustainable Communities Act, up to 40 percent of the tax credits would be ...
[More]
by Andrew Ratner
26. January 2010 15:33
Sorry for the prolonged silence. It's been go-go since New Year's and difficult to blog, although I realize the cardinal sin of blogging is prolonged quietude. Will try to do better. We've had several events in recent weeks to usher in Governor O'Malley's Sustainable Communities Act of 2010. Its purpose is to sharpen government's focus on strengthening existing communities, partly to discourage sprawl but also to bolster life in cities and towns where investment in public infrastructure is mos...
[More]
by Andrew Ratner
16. December 2009 10:38
In its national awards, the American Planning Association recently gave its 2010 National Planning Landmark Award to Baltimore County's "Plan for the Valleys."
Here's the award summary from the APA: "In the early 1960s, the Green Spring and Worthington Valleys, a rural region of Baltimore County, Maryland, was facing intense urbanization pressure. The community had the foresight to realize that if uncontrolled, the growth would surely wipe out the historic character and n...
[More]
by Andrew Ratner
14. December 2009 16:27
Shopping deadlines, party jitters, mall traffic getting to you?
We think this clip on the approvals you'll need for building a snowman will help brighten your day. As always, we are here to serve.
Credit: Gontram Architecture
http://www.gontramarchitecture.com/portfolio/Holiday_Video_2009/How_to_Construct_a_Snowman.swf
by Andrew Ratner
11. December 2009 13:19
At the Holiday Open House that Gov. Martin O’Malley and First Lady Katie O’Malley held for state employees at Government House in Annapolis last evening was a splendid train garden set up by the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Company. We were told that the display at the Baltimore County fire company's headquarters was even more impressive. We'd like to try to get over to see it this holiday season as well as some of the others in the area. (The governor is also hosting a...
[More]
by Andrew Ratner
8. December 2009 16:05
My colleague John Coleman reminded me to remind you to please take our survey about the need for a State Growth Plan.
It probably would help first if you had an idea what a State Growth Plan is. These two handouts that are still being worked up might help.
Here's one.
And here's the other.
And when you're done with that easy reading, you're ready for the survey.
So as not to confuse, we also refer to the S.G.P. as PlanMaryland.
by Andrew Ratner
3. December 2009 13:55
One of the loudest laugh lines at the presentation for the 2009 National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement in Washington earlier this week came from the contingent from Charlotte, N.C. One official related how designing streets to be more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly was not rocket science. His colleague, in reply, said that he actually has a degree in aerospace engineering and can attest that it is, in fact, harder than rocket science. I was reminded of the t...
[More]
by Andrew Ratner
23. November 2009 10:56
Decatur Street, the main residential street in Edmonston in Prince George's County, is being remade into an environmentally sensitive thoroughfare -- the first street project of its kind in Maryland. The project is using the best in sustainability practices, from the storm water system underground to more energy efficient street-lighting to better accommodattions for bikers and pedestrians. By virtue of the town's location straddling the Anacostia River, town leaders and&nb...
[More] 
Subscribe