November 2, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md., November 1 /National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education -- A new article published in the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA) by Rebecca Lewis, Gerrit-Jan Knaap and Jungyul Sohn examines the development, implementation and effects of Priority Funding Areas in Maryland--the key policy instrument in Maryland's pioneering approach to smart growth. The article entitled 'Managing Growth With Priority Funding Areas: A Good Idea Whose Time Has Yet to Come' was published in volume 75, issue 4, of JAPA and is free to view online.

In 1997, the State of Maryland adopted a bold new approach to growth management based on a novel instrument: priority funding areas (PFAs). PFAs contain growth by directing state spending to areas designated by local governments and reviewed by the state government. Despite widespread acclaim and subsequent imitation, little is known about whether PFAs effectively contain urban growth. The JAPA article evaluates the adoption, implementation, and performance of PFAs in Maryland in order to provide planners and policymakers with insights into their efficacy as instruments for managing growth.

Co-author Gerrit-Jan Knaap of the University of Maryland commented "We think the research is important because the state of Maryland, and its incentive approach to managing urban growth, has been hailed as a model for the rest of the nation. Before other states and local governments adopt similar approaches it is important to know both the strengths and limitations of that approach."

To read the JAPA article in full for free please visit:
Managing Growth with Priority Funding Areas

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