A Maryland County Tries to Tame a Stretch of Suburban Sprawl
Date: Thursday, September 22, 2016
Written By: Joe Gose
Publication: New York Times
NORTH BETHESDA, Md. — Congested and derided, the Rockville Pike thoroughfare, which connects Bethesda and Rockville, troubled local residents, officials and developers for years.
“I’ve lived in this area most of my life, and people would ask where I was from,” said Amy Ginsburg, executive director of Friends of White Flint. “I wasn’t really from Rockville, and I wasn’t really from Bethesda. There was no sense of place, just shopping centers and horrible traffic up and down the pike.”
Her organization, a nonprofit funded by residents, businesses and property owners, promotes so-called smart-growth development. The movement generally advocates a mix of land uses, higher building density and walkable neighborhoods close to public transit to create stronger communities.
