News

Why won’t the “Zombie” Potomac Bridge proposal die?

ExpandDetails

Why won’t the “Zombie” Potomac Bridge proposal die?

An article in Greater Greater Washington explores the myriad reasons not to build a bridge connecting Montgomery County and Loudoun County. Nick Finio, an NCSG Faculty Research Assistant, and Alex Baca, Engagement Director at Coalition for Smarter Growth, co-wrote this article. With Loudoun County’s population ballooning over the past two decades, the County Board of Supervisors recently voted to endorse two sites for a potential bridge. Measures like this have been proposed time and again in the region, but, researchers argue that more highways will not alleviate traffic. Instead, Finio and Baca recommend Loudoun  focus on growth that embrace it’s new public transit options via the Silver Line.

Read More
Nick FinioOct 19No Comments

Using Data Mapping to Plan for Opportunity in Five US Cities

ExpandDetails

Using Data Mapping to Plan for Opportunity in Five US Cities

A report by NCSG faculty entitled “Equity, Opportunity and the Regional Planning Process: Data and Mapping in Five U.S. Metropolitan Areas” was recently released by NCSG and Enterprise. The authors make the case that data mapping can be used as a tool to stimulate meaningful conversations about opportunity and equity within a region. This report was created through interviews with key stakeholders in the regions studied. It offers key takeaways for community organizers, activists, planners, and policy makers who want to use publicly-available data to spread opportunity in their own regions.
All authors are affiliated with the National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) at the University of Maryland, College Park. They include: Nicholas Finio, a Ph.D. candidate; Willow Lung-Amam, an assistant professor; Gerrit Knaap, a professor of Urban Studies and Planning and director of NCSG; Casey Dawkins, a professor and the director of Urban Studies and Planning; and Brittany Wong, a Ph.D. student.
Read More
Nick FinioOct 12No Comments

‘Smart growth’ needed, not sprawl

ExpandDetails

‘Smart growth’ needed, not sprawl

NCSG Director Gerrit-Jan Knaap was the keynote speaker at the iSEE Congress 2018, hosted by the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In articles with the region’s News-Gazette and UI’s student newspaper The Daily Illini, Knaap discusses a brief history of smart growth and sustainability in urban development. The iSEE Congress marked a return for Knaap, who researched and taught at the University of Illinois from 1989 through 2002.

Read More
Nick FinioOct 04No Comments