To protect private property, public health, government infrastructure and local environmental resources, municipalities should take steps to study the expected impacts of climate change. Those steps should include identifying vulnerable areas, populations, and assets to develop strategies to avoid or lessen those impacts.

As discussed in the most recent annual report of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, extreme weather, such as droughts and severe storms, have been increasing in frequency and cost in Maryland since the 1980s and are in part attributed to a changing climate. The report notes that the effects of accelerated sea-level rise in Maryland are already apparent, including shoreline erosion, deterioration of tidal wetlands, and salinization of low-lying farm fields. Nuisance flooding, also referred to as high tide flooding, which used to occur just a very few days per year in Annapolis in the 1950s now occurs forty or more days per year. Storm surges from tropical storms and Nor’easters have also spread farther and higher, adding to higher sea levels.

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Ahead of the month-long Walktober celebration, Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) staff from our Eastern Shore offices, Tracey Gordy, Keith Lackie, Stephanie Mullinix, and Barbara Ewell, participated in the Wicomico County Health Department’s inaugural Shatter the Stigma Walk on September 10, 2022.

The Shatter the Stigma Walk was created to help address the stigma of those who are in recovery and suffer from addiction and substance abuse problems.

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In the July 2020 edition of Planning Practice Monthly, we announced the launch of Phase 2 of the Maryland Military and Civilian Compatible Use Project, a collaborative effort between the Maryland Departments of Commerce (Commerce) and Planning. Phase 2 implements some of the top recommendations of the Statewide Joint Land Use Response Implementation Strategy (SJRIS), completed in 2019 and the main Phase I deliverable.

The Compatible Use Project’s purpose is “to ensure that military activities do not adversely impact the quality of life in adjacent communities and that development in those communities does not encroach on installation activities.”

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The Walktober Walkinar series, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and hosted by the Maryland Department of Planning, will help planners, local officials, pedestrian advocates, and the public at large learn how to advocate for safe walking infrastructure.

Panelists will identify key resources to build, strengthen and sustain local partnerships and share new tools and technologies being used across the country to identify and plan for pedestrian-accessible routes for all ages and abilities.

All webinars are free of charge and will take place every Thursday in October from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern. 

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Save the Date!

Please join the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) on Wednesday, November 16 for our 2^nd statewide brownfields conference for local governments, consultants, attorneys, developers, and non-governmental organizations to learn and share information about brownfields.

This is an important opportunity to delve deeper into how revitalizing land through brownfield cleanup and redevelopment/reuse can bring about improvements in equitable access to recreational spaces in Maryland’s communities and serve as a Walk in the Park for All.

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A division of the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning), the Maryland State Data Center (MSDC) is the state’s primary liaison with the Census Bureau.

MSDC provides Maryland residents, businesses, and local governments with demographic and socioeconomic statistics. It also produces the state’s official population and household projections and develops school enrollment forecasts.

Each fall the Maryland State Data Center hosts an annual meeting and demonstration workshop for its network of affiliates and socioeconomic researchers from across the state. The meeting agenda addresses recent and upcoming Census releases and on data access tools.

Register for Maryland State Data Center Annual Meeting

Wed, October 19, 9:30am – 12:30pm

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In 2019, the Maryland Departments of Planning (Planning) and Housing and Community Development (DHCD) initiated mutually reinforcing development efforts to assist Maryland jurisdictions with their affordable housing planning needs.

Planning has shared, and will continue to share, extensive information about the Housing Element Models & Guidelines (M&G) and the Maryland Housing Needs Assessment & 10-Year Strategic Plan (Needs Assessment), both of which are excellent resources for jurisdictions completing a housing element for the first time, per the requirements of HB 1045 (2019), or for those taking a deeper look at housing affordability in their communities.

The Maryland planning community is a supportive one, in which jurisdictional examples should inform and inspire the efforts of other towns, cities, and counties. Reviewing other adopted housing elements addressing the requirements of HB 1045 can make the resources and strategies described in the M&G and Needs Assessment more tangible.

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Even before the political unrest and war broke out in Ukraine, which some blame for an historic spike in global gasoline prices, more Americans have been making the shift from gas-powered internal combustion engines (or ICEs) to electric vehicles (EVs) than ever before.

According to the EV news and commentary website Electrek, which draws its data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC), there were 1,019,260 current EV registrations in the United States by December 31, 2021. While that number makes up less than two percent of the total number of vehicles in the U.S., According to a recent article in Car and Driver, EV sales shot up 60 percent in the first quarter of 2022 alone.

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The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA’s) FY23 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant Guidelines are now available in Grants.gov and on the OBLR MARC Grant Application Resources webpage along with other General Program Resources. The application submission deadline is November 22, 2022.

Prospective applicants can also access the information through the Brownfields Newsroom and Solicitations for Brownfield Grants pages.

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Marylanders across the state are preparing for the 2022 celebration of Walk Maryland Day on Wednesday, October 5. Please join us!

Walk Maryland Day is a celebration of our state's official exercise and a call to action to support safe walking and walkability. You can join by registering to walk on October 5 as either a Walk Leader or Sole Mate. 

Walk Leaders are to encourage anyone who enjoys walking and wants to help others realize the benefits this healthy activity can bring to join them on a walk. Sole Mates are people who would like to join a walk and can register for a walk in their desired location.

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This October, the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) is partnering with Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) in support of Maryland’s Third Annual WALKTOBER – a month-long celebration and educational event surrounding all-things-walking-related – with tie-ins to our 39^th Annual Conference.

Together, with help from local, state, and national partners, Walktober offers in-person and virtual events across Maryland will spotlight pedestrian safety, health, and infrastructure issues, as well as new programs and initiatives that encourage walking and support walkability.

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In each newsletter, we highlight the most relevant and timely upcoming events. Our website does include many additional events, so please visit it regularly for updates. Listings are searchable by subject.

2022 Chesapeake Riparian Forest Buffer Networking Summit
Fox Haven Farm and Learning Center, Jefferson, MD
October 12
For More Information

ARC Confernece: One Appalachia
Flitstone, MD

October 17 - 19
For More Information

National Perspectives on Walking and Pedestrian Safety: Where We Are and How We Move Forward (Walkinar I)
Thursday, October 6 @ 10:30 a.m.
AICP CM Approved 
For More Information

The Parkmaker and the Formgiver: How Frederick Law Olmsted and Henry Hobson Richardson Reinvented America's Public Spaces

Tuesday, October 11 @ 1 pm
AICP CM Approved
For More Information

Maryland State Data Center Annual Meeting and Workshop

Wednesday, October 19, Virtual
For More Information

2022 Architectural Fieldwork Symposium

Thursday, October 27, 9:30 am to 4 pm, Crownsville, MD
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Continuum of Care Program Grants
Maryland Historical Trust - Deadline: October 20
For More Information

Maryland DNR Grants Gateway
MD Dept. of Natural Resources -

Deadline: December 15
For More Information