In 1997, Maryland burst into the national spotlight with the passage of its Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation initiative. The initiative gained broad national recognition and praise, yet the question remains: Has Smart Growth changed the development pattern in Maryland?

To address these and other related questions, the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education and Resources for the Future organized a three-day conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of Maryland's landmark Smart Growth legislation.

Former Maryland Governor and Smart Growth visionary Parris Glendening began the conference by reflecting on the evolution of the initiative. Contentious and unfamiliar at its inception, the legislation became a widely copied framework for states around the country.

 
Smart Growth @ 10: A Critical Examination of Maryland's Landmark Land Use Program
Conference Report
January 2008

The papers presented over the course of the conference touched on a variety of topics, including transportation, infrastructure, land preservation, and community development. Government officials, academics, and environmental and development interests debated the effectiveness and outcomes of Smart Growth instruments such as Priority Funding Areas and Rural Legacy easements. Discussion also focused on the role of state and local government in growth management, in addition to the need for increased state-wide and regional coordination.
  
Smart Growth faces both challenges and change in its next ten years.

Concern for the health of the Chesapeake Bay, the state's economic prosperity, and the quality of life of all Marylanders demands that the initiative address the questions and conclusions raised throughout the conference.

A conference program is available for download in PDF format.

 
"Smart Growth @ 10" Conference to Take Critical Look at Maryland's Landmark Land Use Initiative
Press Release
September 2007

Wednesday, October 3
Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.
Senate Office Building
West II, 11 Bladen Street, Annapolis, MD

12:30 p.m. Registration

1:00 p.m. Welcome

1:30 p.m. Smart Growth 10 Years Later
Former Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening

2:00 p.m. "What Did Glendening's Staff Hope to Accomplish?"
Moderator: Jenny Plummer-Welker, Maryland APA

• Ray Skinner, Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
• Ronald N. Young, formerly Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Planning
• Henry Kay, Deputy Administrator, Maryland Transit Administration
• John W. Frece, National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education

3:00 p.m. "The Local Perspective on Smart Growth"
Moderator: Beth Harber, Abell Foundation

• Jan Gardner, Frederick County Board of County Commissioners
• David Carey, Mayor, Bel Air
• Joe Rutter, former planner, Howard and Anne Arundel counties
• David Harrington, Prince George's County Council

4:00 p.m. "The View from the Outside"
Moderator: Caroline Moore, ULI Baltimore

• John Kortecamp, Home Builders Association of Maryland
• Rich Thometz, Hailey Development
• Dru Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of Maryland
• Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth

5:00 p.m. Summary

5:30 p.m. Reception for all participants
The Maryland Inn, Annapolis, MD

Thursday, October 4
The Inn and Conference Center
3501 University Boulevard East
University of Maryland, College Park, MD

8:15 a.m. Welcome
Gerrit-Jan Knaap

8:30 a.m.
I. Setting the Stage: Smart Growth in Context
Moderator: Garth Rockcastle, Dean, School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation

• Ten Years Later: An Assessment of Smart Growth in Maryland 
  Gerrit-Jan Knaap and John W. Frece, both University of MD
  
  
• From Growth Controls, to Comprehensive Planning, to Smart Growth: The Evolution of State Efforts to Manage Growth
  Tim Chapin, Florida State University
  
  
• Smart Growth in Maryland: The Impact of a Coordinated Approach on Community Revitalization Across the State
  James T. Noonan and Jacquelyn Magness-Seneschal, KCI Technologies  
  

10:15 a.m.
II. Land Use and Land Use Change
Moderator: Amal Ali, Salisbury University

• Examining Deflection: An Unintended Consequence of Maryland's Smart Growth
  Uri Avin, PB PlaceMaking, Thomas Hammer, Demographics Consultant, and Chris Dorney, Parsons Brinckerhoff
  
  
• Hotspots for Growth: Land Use change in a Transitional County in Maryland
  Marie Howland, University of Maryland; and Bernadette Hanlon and Mike McGuire, both University of MD at Baltimore
  
  
• Modeling the Urbanization Process Across Maryland in the Context of Chesapeake Bay Restoration
  Scott J. Goetz, The Woods Hole Research Center; Claire A. Jantz, Shippensburg University; and Nancy E. Bockstael, University of MD
  
   
  

12:30 p.m.
Luncheon presentation
Beverley Swaim-Staley, Deputy Secretary
Maryland Department of Transportation

1:00 p.m.
III. Housing Choices and Preferences
Moderator: John I. Carruthers, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

• An Exploration of the Impact of Suburban In-Fill: Is Perception Reality?
  Keith Wiley, University of MD Baltimore County
  
  
• Lot Size, Zoning, and Household Preferences: Impediments to Smart Growth?
  Elizabeth Kopits, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia McConnell and Daniel Miles, both of University of MD Baltimore County
  
  
• Does Maryland's Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation Initiative Improve the Balance of Housing Choices?
  Ralph B. McLaughlin, University of California, Irvine
  
  

2:45 p.m.
IV. Smart Growth Instruments
Moderator: Margaret Walls, Resources for the Future

• Open Space and Urban Sprawl: The Case of the Maryland Forest Conservation Act
  Erik Lichtenberg and Ian Hardie, both University of MD
  
  
• Managing Growth with Priority Funding Areas: Promise, Politics, and Performance
  Jungyul Sohn, Seoul National University, Gerrit-Jan Knaap and Rebecca Lewis, both of University of MD
  
  
• The Effects of Moratoria on Residential Development: Evidence from Harford, Howard and Montgomery Counties
  Antonio M. Bento, Cornell University
  
  

5:15 p.m. Summary and Preview of the Final Day
Gerrit-Jan Knaap

6:30 p.m. Author's Dinner

Friday, October 5
The Inn and Conference Center
3501 University Boulevard East
University of Maryland, College Park, MD

8:15 a.m. Welcome
Margaret Walls

8:30 a.m.
V.-1. Farmland Preservation
Moderator: Cindy Nickerson, USDA-Economic Research Service

• Does Maryland's Smart Growth Program Protect Farmland?
  Jesse J. Richardson, Jr., Virginia Tech
  
  
• Comparing Farmland Preservation for Smart Growth in Maryland and Pennsylvania: Why is Maryland Only Number Two?
  Tom Daniels, University of PA
  
  
• An Evaluation of Working Land and Open-Space Preservation Programs in Maryland
  Lori Lynch, University of MD; Wayne Gray and Jacqueline Geoghegan, both Clark University
  

8:30 a.m.
V.-2. Case Studies I
Smart Growth in Baltimore County
Moderator: Jeffrey A. Michael, Towson University

• Smart Growth According to Older Suburbs: Public Process and Scale Issues in Baltimore County, MD
  Amy E. Menzer, Johns Hopkins University
  
  
• Smart Growth and Community Investment: Confronting Suburban Decline in Metropolitan Baltimore
  Thomas J. Vicino, University of Texas at Arlington
  
  
• Pioneer on the Frontier of Smart Growth: The Baltimore County, MD Experience
  Donald C. Outen, Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management
  

10:15 a.m.
VI.-1 Infrastructure and Infrastructure Finance
Moderator: John Swanson, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

• Smart Spending? A Closer Look at Maryland's Transportation Budgets
  Kelly J. Clifton, Andy Blohm, and Rebecca Lewis, University of MD
  
  
• Congestion Pricing: Myths and Realities
  Elena Safirova, Winston Harrington, Sebastien Houde, and Conrad Coleman, all RFF
  
  
• State Funding for Sewer Infrastructure: Is it Smart Growth versus Bay Restoration?
  James R. Cohen, University of MD  
  

10:15 a.m.
VI.-2 Case Studies II
Smart Growth at the Local Level
Moderator: Ralph Bennett, University of MD School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

• The Corner Store as an Element of Smart Growth
  Sidney Brower, University of MD
  
  
• That Old Pedestrian Mall: Upper Story Strategies for Downtown Revitalization
  Henry W. Bullamore, Frostburg State University; and Kathy McKenney, City of Cumberland, MD
  
  
• Transforming a Corridor: A Case Study of Howard County, Maryland's U.S. Route 1 Corridor
  Mina Hilsenrath and Dace Blaumanis, Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning
  
  
• Implementing Smart Growth in Frederick County's Walkersville Regional Community
  Hilari Varnadore, Frederick County Division of Planning
  
  

12:30 p.m. Luncheon presentation
Arnab Chakraborty
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
National Center for Smart Growth

1:00 p.m. "Toward the Future"
Moderator: Verna Harrison, Keith Campbell Foundation

• Senator Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery
• Delegate Richard Weldon, R-Frederick
• Senator Allan H. Kittleman, R-Howard
  
  

2:30 p.m. "Smart Growth in the Next 10 Years"
Richard E. Hall
Secretary, MD Department of Planning

3:30 p.m. Summary and conclusion
Margaret Walls and Gerrit-Jan Knaap