Exploring and Expanding Park Use Through Interactive Game Apps

Final project for URSP688L: Planning Technologies (Fall 2017). University of Maryland, College Park.This report compiles ways to use technology, specifically a scavenger hunt game, to bring new audiences to Montgomery County parks, in an effort to promote increased engagement and longer park visits. This project capitalizes on the popularity of the interactive game apps and uses a similar game to entice people into the parks and to expand their visits. This report is the initial data collection of a larger effort to create a scavenger hunt application (“app”) that will be developed by another class in Spring 2018. The data comes from 19 park visits and gathers data on location and features within each park. From the field survey, we gathered coordinate information and pictures of the features as well as information was used to create educational and other questions that will be part of the future game app. The fieldwork focused on specific background questions, and key features were mapped for example, the relationship to population density and the distance to park entrances. The analysis and findings resulted in several recommendations, most notably to consider multiple versions of the app based on age group and categories such as walkable urban parks or historic sites. Other recommendations include suggestions for a continual reevaluation of park amenities, increased promotion, and new ways to market the parks and create new partnerships.Montgomery Count

A Framework Plan for Preservation and Growth in Creswell, Harford County, Maryland

Final project for URSP688D: Recent Developments in Urban Studies; Scenario Planning Workshop (Spring 2019). University of Maryland, College Park.HarfordNEXT, the county’s 2016 Masterplan, calls for a comprehensive analysis of facilities needed to serve Creswell and asserts that future development must be compatible with the preservation of Creswell’s rural character. This mandate is the basis for the present study, conducted under the auspices of the University of Maryland’s PALS program in the spring semester of 2019. The HarfordNEXT language about the Creswell study is also the basis for five of this report’s goals: Conserve Farming; Protect the Environment; Preserve Rural Character; Minimize Traffic Impacts; Maintain Adequate Infrastructure. In addition to these goals, the team added two others: Provide Additional Housing; Ensure Positive Fiscal Impact. This course examined TDR (transfer of development rights) using CommunityViz software, and also conducted scenario planning using transportation and fiscal models. The appendix document was a collaborative effort, with the following courses completing the background reports for sewer and water infrastructure, environmental impacts, and public services in the Creswell area: ENCE422 Project Cost Accounting and Economics, LARC642 Graduate Studio III, LAW577B Environmental Legal Clinic, and URSP640 Growth Management and Environmental Planning.Harford Count