Baltimore City grew by 1,100 residents in the last year

Maryland State Data Center has posted the U.S. Census Bureau‘s 2012 Population Estimates for Maryland’s Jurisdictions, the annual release of estimates for the 23 counties and Baltimore City.

The Baltimore Sun reported on the increase in population for Baltimore City in “Baltimore’s population up, following decades of loss” (March 14, 2013).

Apples, oranges and growth estimates

Caution should be used in analyzing the municipal population estimates just released by the U.S. Census Bureau. There are a few reasons to be careful in making comparisons.

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.

Reading Across Maryland

Dear Children of Earth -- A letter from home

The Maryland Department of Planning celebrated “Read Across Maryland” as Assistant Secretary Linda C. Janey read “Dear Children of the Earth – A letter from Home” by Schim Schimmel to the preK4class at the Empowerment Academy Charter School in Baltimore on March 27.  The book teaches children respect for all living things and tells them how they can save the Earth by working together.

How did William Donald Schaefer aid smart growth?

Governor William Donald Schaefer advocated for smart growth before we called it that.  He passed the 1992 Planning Act, the ’91 Forest Conservation Act and Harborplace speaks for itself. He was known for his outreach to the business community and maybe even thought of himself foremost in terms of economic development, but he was also a strong advocate for environmentalism and the bay. The challenges he faced have not gone away.

We need to grow smarter now more than ever because we are continuing to spread out and leave behind older communities, and most of the communities getting the faster rates of growth tend to be ones that don’t growth as efficiently as the older communities.

– Richard E. Hall, AICP, Maryland Secretary of Planning