Planning in the National Capital Area
The National Capital Area has a wealth of planning related resources serving communities, decision-makers, and professionals alike. Check them out:
Planning Agencies in the National Capital Area
- Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
- National Capital Planning Commission
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
District of Columbia
- Office of Planning
- Office of the Environment
- Department of Housing & Community Development
- Department of Transportation
State of Maryland
- Department of Planning
- Department of the Environment
- Department of Housing & Community Development
- Department of Transportation
- Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
- Montgomery County: Planning Department
- Department of Transportation
- City of Gaithersburg Department of Planning & Code Administration
- City of Rockville Department of Community Planning & Development Services
- City of Takoma Park Department of Housing & Community Development
- Prince George’s County: Planning Department
- Department of Public Works & Transportation
- City of Bowie Department of Planning & Economic Development
- City of College Park Department of Planning & Development
- City of Greenbelt Department of Planning & Community Development
- City of Laurel Department of Community Planning & Business Services
Commonwealth of Virginia
- Department of Conservation and Recreation
- Department of Environmental Quality
- Department of Housing & Community Development
- Department of Transportation
http://www.virginiadot.org/
- Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development
- City of Alexandria Department of Planning & Zoning
Planning Organizations and Think Tanks in the National Capital Area
- Brookings Institute – Think tank whose research areas include Metropolitan Areas, Economics, and Global Development
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation – Saving the Bay through education, advocacy, litigation, and restoration.
- Coalition for Smarter Growth – Dedicated to making the case for walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies and investments needed to make those communities flourish in the Washington D.C. region.
- International City/County Management Association – The organization’s mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build better communities.
- Lincoln Institute of Land Policy – A resource for key issues concerning the use, regulation, and taxation of land.
- Mobility Lab – Leading U.S. voice of “transportation demand management” – moving people instead of cars.
- National Building Museum – Devoted to the history and impact of the built environment.
- National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education – Leading Smart Growth research center at the University of Maryland, College Park
- Rails-to-Trails Conservancy – Non-profit organization whose mission it is to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.
- Smart Growth America – Advocates for people who want to live and work in great neighborhoods.
- Transportation Research Board – Engages professionals worldwide in a broad range of interdisciplinary, multimodal activities to lay the foundation for innovative transportation solutions.
- Trust for Public Land – National nonprofit that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural places.
- Urban Land Institute — Multidisciplinary real estate forum that facilitates an open exchange of ideas, information, and experience among industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better places.
Planning Blogs
- OPinions – The blog of the D.C. Office of Planning; a place for exploration and dialogue about the urban environment.
- PlanItMetro – Metro’s planning blog (WMATA)
- The Straight Line – the blog of the Montgomery County Planning Department
- Greater Greater Washington – Devoted to improving the vitality of Washington, D.C. and the walkable cities and communities in the Washington metropolitan area.
- BeyondDC – Urbanism, transportation, and development in the Washington, DC region.
- Just Up the Pike – Planning, development, and transportation in Montgomery County
- Streetsblog DC – Federal transportation and land use policy across the country.
- Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space – Land use, transportation, economic development, and placemaking in the Washington, D.C. region and beyond.
- The Wash Cycle – Cycle advocacy in the Nation’s Capital