A New Spot for Spot
What makes a good dog park? Peek inside a canine’s mind, and chances are it’s a pretty short list: a place to run, butts to sniff, maybe the occasional squirrel.With millions of dogs adopted in the U.S. during the pandemic, the demand for dog parks has made them a priority for local governments like...
Meet Mohammad Gharipour, MAPP’s Next Director of Architecture
The School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation will welcome Dr. Mohammad Gharipour to the University of Maryland this August as a professor of architecture and the next director of the Architecture Program. An accomplished and award-winning scholar, leader and teacher, Gharipour comes to UMD ...
Marccus Hendricks Promoted with Tenure to Associate Professor
Dr. Marccus Hendricks has been promoted with tenure to associate professor of urban studies and planning by the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (MAPP+D). A sought-after national voice in environmental justice, Hendricks’ work exposes the massive infrastructur...
Research Addressing Mental Health Crisis Earns “Grand Challenges 2.0” Funding
An interdisciplinary project that explores how nature can nurture better mental and physical health was awarded a University of Maryland “Grand Challenges 2.0” institutional grant. A partnership between faculty from five UMD colleges and schools—including architecture Associate Professor Jana Vander...
Rebuilding a Village, Voice by Voice
For decades, the streets of Baltimore’s Broadway East neighborhood told the story of a community disappearing. Blocks of abandoned rowhouses illustrated the systemic disinvestment, growing crime and abject poverty tearing at the fabric of so many of Baltimore’s neighborhoods. But at a community meet...
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.