White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are present in overwhelming numbers in urban and suburban areas. Forest fragmentation supports populations of the species, which thrives in wooded edges, and those populations drive significant changes to the local plant communities. While researchers and managers know a great deal about these interactions, the general public is not always aware […]
Lead Local Gov / Community Partner Org Name: Howard County & Columbia Association
The Value of Planting Trees in the Urban Setting
There is currently a rapid rate of urbanization taking place across the world. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 34 percent of the world’s population will be living in rural environments and 66 percent will be living in urban environments (UN 2014). With urbanization comes an increase of industry, burning of fossil fuels, […]
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Elkhorn Promenade Capstone Project
The Elkhorn Promenade project revitalizes the Owen Brown Village Center in Columbia, Maryland into a competitive and locally sourced mixed use residential and retail destination. The Elkhorn Promenade will give residents a strong desire to walk, bike or even take a short drive to a destination with a tailored experience. Don’t go downtown; go next […]
The Olmsted: A Mixed Income Community in Reservoir Hill
821-825 Druid Park Lake Drive is a one-acre greyfield site in Baltimore City’s Reservoir Hill neighborhood. Our redevelopment proposal, The Olmsted, is to construct a 205,890-square foot structure with 218 mixed-income residential units. Reservoir Hill is a historic neighborhood known for its Victorian mansions and architectural character. The site is bounded to the north by […]
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Reflect & Connect: Lake Kittamaqundi, Columbia
Our aim with this project was to enhance the synergy and connectivity of this site, while increasing previous surfaces to catch and filter site runoff before entering the lake. Increasing the seating for event spaces/ social gatherings was also a critical aspect of the design. We used a geometric site layout to carry out our […]
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Unifying Waterscapes at Columbia Lakefront
Sitting along the edge of Lake Kittamaqundi, the Columbia Lakefront serves as one of the much broader open spaces in Columbia Town Center. The site sits to the East of the Columbia Mall and has served for the town of Columbia for outdoor events since the 1990s. Each year Columbia Lakefront holds events such as […]
Jim Rouse Waterfront at Lake Kittamaqundi
We aim to create a waterfront destination park that: introduces opportunities for economic growth as Downtown Columbia becomes increasingly urbanized and developed; connects to the greater plan for Columbia; restores Jim Rouse’s original vision for Columbia by incorporating historical elements; increases pedestrian access; introduces greater handicap access; allows for social gathering on many different scales, […]
Guilford Gateway Trail
The Guilford Gateway Trail project presented here proposes to transform 3.5 miles of unused CSX railroad right-of-way into a shared use path system to serve the Southeast Howard County area. The section of right-of-way extends from Washington Boulevard (Route 1) in Jessup northwest to the intersection of Broken Land Parkway and Snowden Parkway passing residential, […]
The Creation and Management of Meadows
This document aims to address the topics involved in the creation and management of meadows as well as provide informational supplementary sources. In this case, we are examining the potential of meadows to be used as alternatives to open grass spaces that require frequent mowing. These mowed open spaces are maintained as a buffers that […]
Ecology of Riparian Ecosystems
In the urban landscape, ecosystems are being fragmented into smaller and smaller pieces that lack the connectivity and resources to function properly. Riparian zones are ecosystems that act as an ecotone, or interface, between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. A properly functioning riparian ecosystem provides a multitude of ecosystem services that help keep the surrounding area […]