Game PlanMaryland

Game PlanMaryland

Under Governor Martin O'Malley, the State of Maryland has been aggressively planning and implementing a comprehensive smart growth policy.

With the PlanMaryland initiative, more of the future growth would occur within existing areas of infrastructure. Efforts would be made to decrease commute times, increase the use of public transportation, and increase the possibilities for walking and biking.

The plan would try to save agricultural land and open spaces, reduce the levels of pollution on the water, land, and air, and keep the costs of growth low.

While the plan would increase the density of existing areas, it would not completely prevent growth in outlying regions.

On the PlanMaryland website, there is an interactive game which shows the impact of different planning options.

Most telling in the game is the map of Maryland, which indicates in bright red the result of different choices for the development of growth and the meeting of transportation needs.

For development, the question is asked where we should focus new development. Should growth be everywhere or should it be more compact?

For transportation, the question is asked how we should meet the growing need for transportation. Should more roads be built or should their be a balanced approach which would include alternatives like transit, walking, bicycling and carpooling?

The map shows a Maryland which is almost completely red when the options are chosen of growing everywhere and primarily using roads for the transportation needs.

Obviously, when the choices are for compact growth and various modes of transportation, the red area on the map is minimized, meaning that much land has been preserved.

Game PlanMaryland