This project was undertaken as part of the UMD PALS program by graduate Landscape Architecture students in LARC 642 in the fall of 2018. It contributes to a series of courses addressing the development potential of the Creswell study area in Harford County. The objectives of this course were threefold: 1. Identify abiotic, biotic, and […]
Sustainable Development Goal: 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
Capital Overlook Apartments
Considering the economics, demographics and the background of the site, the vision for its development is an affordable residential project. The area surrounding the site is home to a older housing stock, with little to no new development in the immediate area. The economic makeup of the area is largely low-income and working-class citizens, many […]
Bulldog Development: 5345 Sheriff Road Feasibility Study
Fairmount Park Apartments
Fairmount Park Apartments is the first rental apartment building in the Town of Fairmount Heights, Maryland, adjacent to Washington, D.C. It is a sustainable and community-oriented mixed-use development on 4.4 acres, of 171 units, 102 market-rate units and 69 affordable units aimed at 60 percent of AMI. It will include 7,000-square feet of ground floor […]
Exploring the Safe Routes to School Program: Feasibility of Using an Active Mode of Transportation to and from School in Prince George’s County, Maryland
Safe Routes to School (SR2S) is a program that promotes student health by encouraging an active mode of transportation. “The Safe Routes to School National Partnership’s mission is to advance safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the […]
Thoughtful Interventions Brookside Gardens, Montgomery County, MD
The Brookside Gardens project focuses on three major spaces; the Visitors Center Plaza and Lawn, the Azalea Garden, and the Camellia Garden. The project focuses on thoughtful interventions for these areas that provide ADA pathways, connections between gardens, stormwater solutions, gathering spaces, and plantings.This project has been created by the students of the University of […]
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Brookside Gardens Stroll for Wellness
The positive benefits of exposure to nature and green spaces related to wellness are well-documented. A structured walk in a garden or park setting, in combination with reflective journaling, has proven to be invaluable and life-changing to community members suffering from the adverse effects of stress and trauma suffering from grief, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder […]
All Dogs Go to Prince George’s County: Finding a Home for a Second Animal Services Facility
As a continuation of the Fall 2017 PALS project, Spring 2018 semester students from the community planning and engineering programs used advanced computer mapping tools (geographic information system, or GIS) to provide Prince George’s County with potential sites to build a second animal shelter. The team attempted to find land that the county already owned, […]
Visualizing Recreational Trails: Montgomery County, Maryland
At the request of the Montgomery County Department of Parks, eight county recreation trails were visualized via 360° photos and video, to help develop a state-of-the-art bike stress index tailored toward mountain bike trails. Using the Google Street View platform to publish photos online as well as several GIS open-source datasets and analytic tools, approximately […]
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A Long Life for Long Branch: Tools to Preserve Independent Retailers
Through their work with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, the Montgomery County Planning Department commissioned this report from the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS). PALS works with local jurisdictions throughout Maryland to identify projects and problems that can be taught through university courses where students focus […]
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