Over the next 20 years, there will be nearly 1,000,000 more people, over 400,000 additional households and over 600,000 new jobs in Maryland.

• Where will all these people live and work, how will they get to their jobs?
• What benefits and impact will this have on our existing communities, our natural resources and our transportation systems?
• What role will the State and local governments have and how will a wide array of public, private and non-profit organizations all work together to plan for a sustainable future?

PlanMaryland, the State’s first comprehensive plan for sustainable growth and development, is intended to answer these and many other questions . . .

The Map

The PlanMaryland planning map is a guide for "Helping to put Smart, Sustainable Growth and Preservation in the right places." As an initial picture of how this would look for Maryland, the map draws from the state's three geographical analysis tools: GreenPrint, AgPrint and GrowthPrint. This PlanMaryland map will evolve as the plan is implemented and the state-local designation process gets underway.

Introduction to PlanMaryland by Governor O'Malley

Challenges and Questions

Effective and efficient management of land-use was a prescient vision in the 1930s when Maryland created the first planning commission in the country. It swelled into a pressing need by the 1970s, when the state legislature created the authority to develop a statewide development plan. And it has reached a critical point now that the pace of sprawl has continued its march despite curative efforts in recent decades. A commitment to fulfill the intent of the legislature 40 years ago to develop a statewide plan for growth, PlanMaryland, will be that plan.

Maryland created a framework a decade ago to steer development toward priority funding areas to try to ensure that new construction occurred near existing services and infrastructure. Scattered development far beyond areas with existing infrastructure wasn’t abated, however, partly due to an unusually strong housing market. The programs put in place also proved insufficient to tame the sweep of development.

Why Plan Now? Why Is It Important To Plan For The Long Term? What Has Been Our Pattern Of Growth And Development? What Will PlanMaryland Do? How Will PlanMaryland Empower Local Governments? How Will PlanMaryland Relate To The 12 Visions? What Have We Learned? What Are The Costs? Why Do We Need PlanMaryland? How Can You Be Involved? Timeline Read the booklet of PlanMaryland - What is it?

Presentations

• Presentation to the Coastal and Watershed Resource Advisory Committee - October 22, 2010
• Presentation to the Maryland-Delaware Chapter APA conference – May 7, 2010

Resources

• Smart, Green & Growing Planning Guide
• “Where Do We Grow From Here?” - A report of the Task Force on the Future for Growth and Development
• Results of the Planning.Maryland.gov Survey: "What Does a State Growth Plan Mean to You?"