Making Their Mark: MAPP’s 2022 Student Project Showcase
Each semester, students from MAPP+D’s Master of Architecture, Master of Historic Preservation and Master of Real Estate Development Programs conceive one final project that culminates their graduate experience at the University of Maryland. Self-selected and often personal, topics address the challe...
Building for the End: Thesis Drafts a Plan for Truly Sustainable Building
Each semester, the Architecture Program’s Design Thesis highlights innovative, often extraordinary concepts from individuals on the cusp of professional life, a precursor to the indelible architecture etched into our urban fabric. But what if that future included another typology—one that is the ant...
From Horseshoe Crabs to Healthy Beaches: Putting a Value on What We Love
Delaware's ocean and bay waters are worth far more than what shows up in economic reports — and a new report by University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (UMD EFC) prepared for DNREC Coastal Programs outlines research questions to explore the expansion of marine resources value.Released in...
2026 -2027
Expanding Metrics for Quantifying the Social and Economic Impacts of Urban Greening
Urban stormwater and greening practices, including green space preservation, may not score as highly as suburban or rural projects on traditional environmental metrics that funders use to select and evaluate proposals. Although some grant programs include limited social indicators (e.g., number of volunteers engaged), these measures rarely reflect the full social and economic benefits that urban greening can deliver.
2026 - 2027
Harnessing Nuisance Flooding Data in Cecil County, MD
This project addresses Cecil County’s limited data on nuisance flooding—including where flooding occurs, how long it lasts, and how it affects residents, businesses, roads, and critical facilities. While the County has updated its Nuisance Flood Plan (2025) and has documented areas of concern using roadway and ditch overflow observations, dock flooding, and emergency services reports, County staff recognize that the most detailed and timely information often comes from the people experiencing flooding firsthand.
2026-2027
Advancing Equitable Flood Resilience in Southwest Arkansas
The rural southwest Arkansas communities of Fulton and McNab (Hempstead County) and Stamps and Lewisville (Lafayette County) face recurrent flooding, aging drainage infrastructure, and limited resources for climate adaptation planning. This project advances a community-driven watershed resilience initiative aligned with Steps 2–4 of the Steps to Resilience Framework, equipping these historically disinvested towns with the evidence, partnerships, intervention options, and financing strategies needed to implement impactful flood solutions.
2026 - 2028
Flood Resilient Development for Small Businesses
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a powerful planning approach that can deliver multiple community benefits, including expanded access to jobs and services, reduced auto dependence, and stronger local economies. TOD can also be a driver for the displacement of existing residents and local businesses. In Prince George’s County, Maryland, these challenges intersect with a growing risk: many existing and planned transit stations sit in or are adjacent to floodplains.
2026
Frederick Urban and Community Forestry Strategic Plan
Mobilize Frederick is developing a coordinated Urban and Community Forestry Strategic Plan that brings tree canopy expansion, workforce development, and community-based engagement into a unified, actionable framework. This effort supports the city’s goal of achieving 40% tree canopy coverage while advancing near-term priorities such as planned tree plantings and the training and employment of local youth. EFC is supporting the strategic planning process, assisting with coordination, stakeholder engagement, and draft strategy development.
2025 - 2026
Promoting mutually beneficial land use planning practices in Maryland
Maryland has committed to rapidly expanding the production of renewable energy – including solar – while also maintaining strong commitments to land conservation and farmland preservation. While these priorities are not inherently incompatible, they do create practical questions about where renewable energy infrastructure should be located, how agricultural land should be protected, and whether new models of shared land use can help reduce conflict.
2026
Facilitative Services for Prince George's County Public Schools Sustainability and Climate Leadership Workshop
Following a successful partnership with the 2025 workshop, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Department of Sustainability and Resilience (DSR) partnered with EFC to design and deliver PGCPS’s 3rd Annual Sustainability and Climate Leadership Summit at the Patuxent Research Refuge’s National Wildlife Visitor Center in Laurel, MD.