Princeton Weekly Bulletin February 22, 1999
MD governor adopts student program
A group of juniors at the Woodrow Wilson School had the rare satisfaction of seeing the recommendations they made as part of a class project quickly become part of a program established by Maryland Governor Parris Glendening.
The class, Transportation and Land Use, led by former Amtrak CEO Thomas Downs, a visiting professor, met with Glendening in Annapolis on January 5 to present recommendations they developed during a semester of studying Maryland's pioneering Smart Growth program, which has attracted national attention from Vice President Al Gore and others as an innovative new model for controlling suburban sprawl and urban decay.
Thomas Downs (l); William Carry, Janelle Wright
and Andrew Evans, Class of '00; Governor Glendening; and Jonathan
Right, Annette Richter, Matthew Chou, Raj Shah, and Ben
Dookchitra, Class of '00
"One of the group's proposals was for the state transportation department to actively promote mixed-use development around existing transit stops," explained Christopher Taylor, a graduate student pursuing a master of public affairs degree, who served as consultant to the class. "Research and experience have shown that more people will choose to take the train when stations are within walking distance of stores, child care centers, housing and other amenities."
On January 29 the governor's office issued a press release announcing the addition of $3 million to the Smart Growth plan to encourage the development of private retail businesses, offices, and services such as child care around transit stations.
"There are very few times when one can actually see a policy recommendation turned into a program this quickly," Downs told his students. "I hope it gives each of you a brief glimpse of the satisfactions that are available in a life of public service."