Using a Studio Course for Provision of Smart Growth Technical Assistance: The University of Marylands 1999 Community Planning Studio in Perryville, M
Authors: James Cohen (1999)
Report
Synopsis: As a faculty member in the University of Maryland’s Urban Studies and Planning Program, in early 1999 I decided to have my summer, community planning studio course focus on the challenges facing one of Maryland’s smaller jurisdictions at it attempted to comply with its planning mandates and grow in a manner consistent with the state’s Smart Growth program. The resulting 2 summer studio course, entitled “What’s Smart Growth for Perryville?”, proved to be a rich learning experience for the students and a valuable resource for the town. This chapter focuses on how the 1999 summer studio course provided smart-growth related technical assistance to the Town of Perryville. It will provide a brief profile of the studio course and of Perryville; discuss how the students approached the study; summarize the major findings and recommendations of the final studio report; critically analyze the degree to which the report has since been utilized by the town; highlight the students’ reactions to the studio experience; and discuss the lessons learned from the studio and the studio’s potential transferability.
Water Supply as a Factor in Local Growth Management Planning in the U.S.: A Review of Current Practice, and Implications for Maryland
Authors: James Cohen (2004)
Report
Synopsis: In February of 2002, as aquifers, streams and reservoirs in many parts of Maryland reached record lows, 72 members of the state's General Assembly signed a letter to the then-Governor Parris Glendening requesting the creation of a special commission to investigate ways of stemming the decline of water supplies. A year later, Governor Robert Ehrlich signed an executive order creating a Water Resource Management Advisory Committee. Among other activities, that committee is directed to review ongoing scientific research on climate change and its regional impacts on water sources; assess the adequacy of current governmental laws, policies, regulations, resources, regulatory enforcement and monitoring programs directed to water resource management, development, conservation and protection in the State; and make recommendations for the actions needed (and the associated costs and funding alternatives) to ensure that the State’s water resources are used “in a manner consistent with their long-term sustainable use and protection.”
Planning and Development Control at the County Level in the United States: Lessons from Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia
Authors: James Cohen and Gerrit Knaap (2004)
Report
Synopsis: This report provides an overview of planning and development control at the county level in the United States based on a case-study analysis of two counties in the Washington, DC metropolitan area: Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia. The intent is not to provide an in-depth analysis of the differences between these two counties but instead to demonstrate general principles and procedures of county planning in the United States.
An Analysis of Social Equity Issues in the Montgomery County (MD) Transfer of Development Rights Program
Authors: James Cohen and Illana Preuss (2002)
Report
Synopsis: Transfer of development rights (TDR) programs increasingly are being utilized as land preservation tools in local jurisdictions' growth management strategies. Issues of social justice are embedded in TDR implementation. This article develops a framework for analyzing social equity issues in TDR programs, and applies the framework to the program in Montgomery County, Maryland. While the Montgomery County program has gained a national reputation for protecting large areas of farmland, the social equity analysis finds several shortcomings with that program's design and operation. Recommendations are offered for improving the effectiveness and equity of the program, and these suggestions have implications for other TDR programs.
Authors: James Cohen (1999)
Report
Synopsis: As a faculty member in the University of Maryland’s Urban Studies and Planning Program, in early 1999 I decided to have my summer, community planning studio course focus on the challenges facing one of Maryland’s smaller jurisdictions at it attempted to comply with its planning mandates and grow in a manner consistent with the state’s Smart Growth program. The resulting 2 summer studio course, entitled “What’s Smart Growth for Perryville?”, proved to be a rich learning experience for the students and a valuable resource for the town. This chapter focuses on how the 1999 summer studio course provided smart-growth related technical assistance to the Town of Perryville. It will provide a brief profile of the studio course and of Perryville; discuss how the students approached the study; summarize the major findings and recommendations of the final studio report; critically analyze the degree to which the report has since been utilized by the town; highlight the students’ reactions to the studio experience; and discuss the lessons learned from the studio and the studio’s potential transferability.
Authors: James Cohen (2004)
Report
Synopsis: In February of 2002, as aquifers, streams and reservoirs in many parts of Maryland reached record lows, 72 members of the state's General Assembly signed a letter to the then-Governor Parris Glendening requesting the creation of a special commission to investigate ways of stemming the decline of water supplies. A year later, Governor Robert Ehrlich signed an executive order creating a Water Resource Management Advisory Committee. Among other activities, that committee is directed to review ongoing scientific research on climate change and its regional impacts on water sources; assess the adequacy of current governmental laws, policies, regulations, resources, regulatory enforcement and monitoring programs directed to water resource management, development, conservation and protection in the State; and make recommendations for the actions needed (and the associated costs and funding alternatives) to ensure that the State’s water resources are used “in a manner consistent with their long-term sustainable use and protection.”
Authors: James Cohen and Gerrit Knaap (2004)
Report
Synopsis: This report provides an overview of planning and development control at the county level in the United States based on a case-study analysis of two counties in the Washington, DC metropolitan area: Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia. The intent is not to provide an in-depth analysis of the differences between these two counties but instead to demonstrate general principles and procedures of county planning in the United States.
Authors: James Cohen and Illana Preuss (2002)
Report
Synopsis: Transfer of development rights (TDR) programs increasingly are being utilized as land preservation tools in local jurisdictions' growth management strategies. Issues of social justice are embedded in TDR implementation. This article develops a framework for analyzing social equity issues in TDR programs, and applies the framework to the program in Montgomery County, Maryland. While the Montgomery County program has gained a national reputation for protecting large areas of farmland, the social equity analysis finds several shortcomings with that program's design and operation. Recommendations are offered for improving the effectiveness and equity of the program, and these suggestions have implications for other TDR programs.