Welcome to the National Center for Smart Growth

The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education (NCSG) is located within the School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation at the University of Maryland, College Park. NCSG works to create a more sustainable, vibrant and enhanced quality of life for communities across the globe. From the beginning, NCSG has worked to advance the notion that research, collaboration, engagement and thoughtful policy development hold the key to a smarter and more sustainable approach to urban and regional development. While we continue to address smart growth issues around the world, we are also engaged extensively at the local level. See more of our work below.

  • PALS Tour of Frederick, MD

    Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability

    The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) is administered by the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). It is a campus-wide initiative that harnesses the expertise of UMD faculty and the energy and ingenuity of UMD students to help Maryland communities become more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. PALS is designed to provide innovative, low-cost assistance to local governments while creating real-world problem-solving experiences for University of Maryland graduate and undergraduate students.

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    Map of the Purple Line

    Purple Line Corridor Coalition

    The Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC), is a partnership of regional stakeholders across Montgomery County and Prince George’s County working to ensure that investments in the MTA’s planned light rail, the Purple Line, will offer the maximum economic, social, and environmental opportunities to the residents and businesses along the corridor. Formed in 2013 by the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG), the PLCC seeks to identify methods for preservation and economic growth, revitalizing and stabilizing neighborhoods, preserving community assets, supporting small businesses, connecting workers to jobs and creating healthy and vibrant communities.

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    The University of Maryland’s Smart Cities Initiative (SCI)

    A partnership between NCSG and the College of Information Studies (Maryland’s iSchool) that explores opportunities to align community needs with research and technology development. Interdisciplinary researchers across campus are collaborating to develop research capacity, educational resources, and public engagement in smart cities and urban analytics. From West Baltimore to Baltimore Avenue in College Park, SCI is exploring how smart city technologies can be used to improve lives in all communities. 

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    El Golfo restaurant in Long Branch

    Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN)

    SBAN is a project of the University of Maryland's National Center for Smart Growth Research & Education (NCSG), funded by JP Morgan Chase's Small Business Forward Program. This project seeks to leverage NCSG's experience leading multi-year, multi-phased collective impact initiatives to bring together small business leaders, including small business owners, community-based organizations, technical assistance providers, policymakers, scholars, and government agencies, to create a community of practice around the issue of small business displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods.

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