Richard “Dick” Floyd (December 4, 1940-January 8, 2013) – A Planning Commissioner for the Ages

“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics, whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” ~ John F. Kennedy

Richard Floyd
December 4, 1940
-January 8, 2013

It was a late night at the Frederick County Planning Commission, a day comprised of public meetings and work sessions that began before noon. As the hour approached 11:00 p.m., spectators in the half-filled auditorium at Winchester Hall fought off weariness as an applicant’s attorney summed up a land use proposal laconically by referencing specific articles in the zoning ordinance as well as applicable sections in the subdivision ordinance to support approval of the request. Agreeing to post all applicable agreements and bonds, the attorney then followed up with an explanation as to why this particular land use proposal would be a “Win – Win” for the county. Those listening with attentive ears at this point in the night were few.  The Chair of the Planning Commission was listening to every word.

Reuse is Smart Growth, Union Mills in Hampden

Jeffrey Zwillenberg, New Leaders Baltimore - An MDP Smart Impact video

Video: National Planning Award for Governor O’Malley

This is the video the American Planning Association produced to announce the “National Planning Excellence Award for Planning Advocate” that it gave to Governor Martin O’Malley this spring. He was the first governor so honored in nearly a decade by the national professional planning organization.

Postcard from the Colorado Front Range: Building transit as fast as they can

Historic Postcard of Colorado State Capitol, Denver, CO

“Build as much as we can, as fast as we can, until it’s all done!”

That’s the mantra of Colorado’s FasTracks program.

Always ahead of his time

James Rouse was featured on the cover of Time magazine – August 24, 1981

In a speech titled “Cities that Work For Man: Victory Ahead” that he delivered in 1967, the visionary developer James W. Rouse spoke eloquently about the societal shortcomings of sprawl. He gave the speech at a symposium on “The City of the Future” at the Lions International/University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. I happened to stumble across the quote roughly 51 years to the day when Mr. Rouse began assembling the 68-acre purchase in Baltimore City that ultimately became the site of his first “planned community,” the Village of Cross Keys.