Terraplan is the University of Maryland’s new student-run planning publication, which celebrates the creativity and research of students in the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
The inaugural issue is themed “Our Nature.”
Good Design is a Team Effort
UMD architecture students joined peers from Catholic University, George Washington University, UDC and other regional programs to improve community, accessibility and connection along Pennsylvania Avenue, part of the annual Interschool Design Competition at the National Building Museum. This team took 2nd place for the Freedom Plaza plan. Read about the challenge here.
A Life at the Museum
This story was originally published in Terp Magazine, written by Sala Levin '10.Cleaning the 11-ton, 13-foot taxidermy pachyderm that welcomes visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History isn’t a job for your average garden hose—or even a pressure washer.
Kosura Florence Oluoch
Dean's Assistant
2023 - 2025
Building Local Capacity to Implement Climate Action
EFC designed and delivered broad-reaching education and training opportunities to increase awareness and implementation of the Climate Solutions Now Act (CSNA) via deployment of federal funds to leverage clean energy projects and investments. The initiative included webinars, leadership trainings, and technical assistance focused on key climate topics such as building electrification, renewable energy, and electric vehicle transition.
2016 (February)
Building Green Infrastructure in Blair County, PA
EFC worked with a team led by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and American Rivers to accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure in Pennsylvania’s Juniata watershed. As a part of this effort, the EFC worked with more than a dozen MS4 communities in Blair County to develop a stormwater financing strategy that looks to improve efficiencies and reduce costs through a regional approach.PartnersAlliance for the Chesapeake Bay, American Rivers, Blair County Conservation District, and Blair County MS4 WorkgroupSponsors
2023 (April)
Broadford Lake Revenueshed Preliminary Report
The purpose of this project was to develop a preliminary revenueshed analysis to frame potential avenues to fund or finance projects that address excess phosphorus in Broadford Lake, located in Garrett County, Maryland. Revenuesheds, conceptualized by the University of North Carolina Environmental Finance Center (UNC EFC), seek to identify the full range of stakeholders that benefit from a healthy watershed. This approach expands the potential opportunities to implement projects that improve water quality.
2015 (July)
Berkeley County, WV Public Service Sewer District Stormwater Financing Feasibility Study
The EFC worked collaboratively with Berkeley County, West Virginia, to conduct a stormwater financing feasibility study. Berkeley County lies in the Potomac River watershed and, at the time of this study, was the only county in West Virginia to hold a stormwater MS4 permit. Under the County’s MS4 permit, the Berkeley County Public Service Sewer District (PSSD) is required to develop a stormwater management program to reduce stormwater from discharging in receiving waters.
2025 Sustainable Maryland Certified Awards
Sustainable Maryland honored 18 Maryland municipalities at the Maryland Municipal League’s annual Fall Conference on Tuesday, October 14 at the Wisp Resort in McHenry, Maryland. To date, 93 municipalities, or 59% of the state's 157 towns and cities, participate in the program, and 33% are currently designated "Sustainable Maryland Certified".The complete list of the 2025 newly certified and re-certified communities, with their Bronze or Silver level status, includes:
"I see the impact of my scholarship everywhere."
The elation Erin Nivison felt after completing two bathroom renovations in two weeks was tempered by her utter exhaustion. Nivison had stumbled into redesign work as a side-hustle to her career in the mortgage industry and was hooked on the creativity she could apply to transforming kitchens, bathrooms and entire houses into beautiful, sustainable spaces. “I loved doing it and thought I could make a career out of it, but it was exhausting work,” she said.