Projects

The National Center for Smart Growth is frequently engaged with partners on projects of significant value to planners and elected officials in state or local government.  The links below provide additional information about current projects.  Our Past Projects page provides links information about projects as well.

Maryland Commuter Survey (2022)

The Maryland Commuter Survey (MCS) is a new survey of adult workers in Maryland designed to measure annual trends in commuting and remote work. The 2022 MCS is its first iteration, providing baseline understanding of commuting rates and patterns as Maryland exits the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey and future iterations will shed light on topics including how Marylanders are returning to in-person work, whether remote and hybrid workers are moving farther from workplaces, and how transit and other alternative modes are competing with automobility in the post-COVID transportation landscape. Learn more.

InPlace: Covid & Commuting

NCSG performed a study, the aim of which was to examine the impacts of pre- and post-COVID commuting patterns on the spatial relationships between people and place. The project was developed in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Transportation and selected local authorities. Learn more.

Purple Line FTA MTA TOD Planning Grant

In December 2018 the Maryland Transit Administration was awarded a $2 million dollar grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The grant is a “TOD Planning Grant,” which funds collaborative planning work between local government agencies to plan for transit-oriented-development in the Purple Line Corridor. The National Center for Smart Growth was a key partner in applying for the grant.   Learn more...

Direct Ridership Model

The NCSG has developed multiple direct ridership models for a number of major transportation and transit agencies in the U.S., including the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), and Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), and WMATA. Some results have been incorporated into the transit agencies' pipeline planning process, future revenue projections, and rail service planning. Learn more...

Neighborhood Opportunity

Over the past few years, NCSG has been actively engaged in projects related to issues of neighborhood opportunity. That is, the ways in which neighborhoods help to shape the access that individuals and communities have to various kinds of educational, employment, health or other opportunities that can improve their long-term prospects. Learn more...

Prospects for Regional Sustainability Tomorrow

The multi-year goal for the Prospects for Regional Sustainability Tomorrow (PRESTO) project is to develop, disseminate, and promote the implementation of a sustainable development strategy for the Baltimore-Washington region. Well known examples of similar efforts include privately financed and promoted plans such as the Burnham plan for Chicago, the Wallace-McHarg plan for the Valleys, and the series of plans for greater metropolitan New York prepared by the Regional Planning Association. Learn more...

Sustainable Communities Initiative

Toward an Equitable Region: Lessons from Baltimore's Sustainable Communities Initiative
Producing more equitable regions, where low-income residents can access jobs, quality education, affordable housing, health care and other opportunities, is difficult. American metropolitan regions must overcome legacies of racial, political, and economic segregation and fragmentation that continue to inhibit the collaboration and coordination necessary to take action. Learn More...

 

Smart Cities

"smart city": an urban area that uses different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information which is used to manage assets and resources efficiently (Wikipedia)

Smart cities technologies are being applied in many fields -- public health, architecture, transportation, civic infrastructure, energy, environment, public policy, education, and more. Free public Wi-Fi, the Internet of things, autonomous vehicles, web-based curricula, personal health monitors and smart transit hubs have the potential to radically change how goods and services are organized and delivered.  Learn more...