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Best laid plans: East Street Corridor Small Area Plan approved
It passed with little fanfare the other day, but the city finally approved the East Street Corridor Small Area Plan....
County Argues Against Young/Delauter/Shreve DRRAs in Blentlinger Appeal
With all of the terrible news of the last few days, I wanted to share something positive. When the Court...
Just Keeping Afloat
It’s just too much sometimes. Or not enough. I’m not sure which. Either way, there are times when I feel...
County Executive Gardner Proposes Legislation to Improve Forest Conservation
County Executive Jan Gardner is taking the initiative to strengthen the Frederick County Forest Resource Ordinance in the face of...
Jefferson Tech Park: Worst financial deal and biggest taxpayer giveaway!
I recently provided an update on what I consider to be the worst financial deal and biggest taxpayer giveaway in...
Great idea: The public realm
More and more people are appreciating that architecture and urban design of streets and public spaces have the power to...
Assessing the Tree Canopy in the City of Frederick
For clean air and water, energy savings, and overall health, the city of Frederick has a goal of 40 percent...
Presentation (Aug. 1): Ron Kaltenbaugh on Climate Change: Science, Impacts, and Solutions
Please join us on Tuesday evening, August 1st, at the new McClintock Distilling Company, in downtown Frederick, for a free...
Our Lawns Are Killing Us. It’s Time to Kick the Habit
Pristine turf grass lawns are as synonymous with America as baseball and apple pie. For those of us who grew...
Yes, Virginia…is trying to revive plans for outer beltway and new Potomac River crossing
The following was sent out via email by the Montgomery Countryside Alliance. Over the years, the alliance has been diligent...
Smarter Growth Alliance for Frederick County letter on Draft Monocacy Scenic River Management Plan
The following is a copy of a letter sent from the Smarter Growth Alliance for Frederick County (see the list...
The Invisible Hand That Designed Your City
Lately I’ve been thinking about the invisible forces that shape our behavior. In an era of ubiquitous access to technology,...
Presentation (July 25th): Jim Schulman on Reinventing Prosperous Local Economies
Join us on Tuesday evening, July 25th, at the new McClintock Distilling Company, in downtown Frederick, for a free and...
Couple goes solar and restores a creekside forest in Myersville
"I'm all about being green. And I think I've finally achieved net zero when it comes to electricity." Today, I...
Great idea: Rethinking parking
From coast to coast and in middle America, more sensible parking policies are taking hold and may be the quickest...
The Smarter Growth Alliance for Frederick County celebrates with a Gathering of Friends
It was a great afternoon in early June at the beautiful Hall’s Choice Farm near New Market. The Smarter Growth...
It’s Time to Change How We Measure Affordable Housing
The “commonly accepted” 30 percent standard for judging housing affordability leaves out transportation and location. I’ve long been dissatisfied with...
The Politics of Personal Destruction in Frederick County
EDITOR'S NOTE: We thank Rick Brace for sharing this perspective about one of the disturbing aspects of the recent, ongoing...
Presentation (June 20th): Livable Frederick and East Frederick Rising
Join us on Tuesday evening at the new McClintock Distilling Company, in downtown Frederick, for a free and informative presentation...
Panel Discussion: “Advancing the Public Interest for the People of Frederick”
Please check out the media advisory below, and consider joining us for a lively conversation, at Winchester Hall, between Jan...
Trout in the Classroom
Middle school students are getting a chance to see firsthand how healthy ecological systems maintain quality of life by raising...
Smart Growth America’s “(Re)Building Downtown”
Smart Growth America is a great resource for any citizen, planner or elected official interested in planning and development and...
Why Greenspace is different from a Park
It's nice to be outside and among nature, especially this time of year. For urban residents, access to nature is...
Great idea: Form-based codes
New urban codes have allowed cities and towns to code for complete neighborhoods and public spaces as shared-use places. Since...
Is placemaking a ‘new environmentalism?’
If our approach to environmentalism should be "new," so too should our approach to urbanism. Can placemaking – in short,...
Addiction on the Monocacy
I climbed through the pile of debris, a great mass of limbless logs, sticks, mud, and leaves driven together in...
Great idea: Mixed-use urban centers
In the 20th Century, retail shifted from main streets and downtowns to strip shopping centers, enclosed malls, and big box...
Green Neighbor Festival: Culler Lake in the spotlight (May 20 & 21)
In a few short weeks, Culler Lake will be the site of the first ever Green Neighbor Festival celebrating environmentally...
Support the bill to Prevent Zoning Amendments immediately before and after elections
There is an important public hearing this Tuesday evening (May 2, at 7:00pm) for County Executive Jan Gardner's proposed legislation...
Brenda Platt on May 25th: Composting to reduce waste, create jobs and fight climate change
Envision Frederick County and the Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies at Hood College are very pleased to invite you...
Farmers Surveyed on Composting
Survey Reveals Interest, Questions about On-Farm Composting A survey of Frederick County farmers indicates interest in expanded use of off-farm...
Live Downtown Frederick Housing Symposium (Friday evening, April 28)
Downtown Frederick Partnership is working towards a goal of welcoming 335 new residents to Downtown Frederick by 2020. Reusing, adapting...
Great idea: Incremental development
Great places are built in small increments, and urbanists are restoring America's know-how and capacity for small-scale development by many...
Green Homes Challenge: Saving energy and money! Learn how it can work for you.
Every year for the past six hears, the Frederick County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources has hosted an event...
What should Maryland look like in 20 years?
The unfortunate events surrounding the confirmation process for the Maryland Department of Planning secretary lead to two bigger questions: What...