A pop-up placemaking event, community meetings and presentations from experts highlight innovative planning on tape
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department announces its 10 most watched videos of 2018. Posted on YouTube, the videos capture the public engagement, special events, presentations and digital tools sponsored by Montgomery Planning as part of its work to enhance communities in the county. View the 10 most watched videos and more footage online.
“Video is one of most valuable tools in engaging with our community. We’re excited to share
the variety and civic spirit of our work over the past year with a wider audience,” says Planning Director Gwen Wright. “The videos allow residents and community members who didn’t attend the events to watch them at their own convenience and better understand what the planning process is all about.”
- White Flint Placemaking
Montgomery Planning joined the nonprofit Better Block Foundation and community members to transform the Randolph Hills Shopping Center parking lot into a pop-up park with a bandshell, food vendors, fitness zones and picnic areas. Planners and volunteers discuss how resident feedback and volunteer efforts turned placemaking concepts into reality during an October 2018 weekend. - Energized Montgomery County
This video shows how Montgomery Planning’s community plans have come to fruition, turning parking lots into places and energizing communities. Planning Director Gwen Wright and Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson discuss how recent planning efforts have shifted from large scale efforts to finer-grained, contextual visions for neighborhoods. - Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Community Meeting
At this June 2018 event, planners explain the framework concept for the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan, which focuses on a heavily trafficked area of Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. Residents, planners and a County Councilmember comment about the plan goals and outreach efforts, such as the ReactMap for gaining community feedback. - 2018 Winter Speaker Series: Placemaking with Ethan Kent
Senior Vice President of the New York-based Project for Public Spaces, Ethan Kent presents the elements of successful public spaces and why the best places are considered lovable, not just livable. He is joined by planners who explain the strategies of creating such places through public participation and buy-in. - Montgomery Planning: Seeing the Bigger Picture
Aerial footage of Montgomery County, from the Agricultural Reserve to downtown Bethesda, reveals the bigger picture of planning progress throughout rural, suburban and urban areas of the county. - MM4 Recap
From the keynote speaker to session wrap-ups, this video summarizes the breadth of the Makeover Montgomery 4 conference held in May 2018 to address ways of fostering inclusive, competitive, smart and healthy communities. - MM4 Graphic Recording Time Lapse
Over the course of the Makeover Montgomery 4 conference, a graphic artist records themes and messages from the sessions to create a mural of words and images capturing the innovative ideas of the event. - Veirs Mill Corridor Outreach
Planning Board member Natali Fani-Gonzalez engages community residents in Spanish (English subtitles are provided) to gain feedback on potential improvements, particularly for pedestrian safety, that are needed for the Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan area. - Aspen Hill Vision Zero Meeting
At this September 2018 public meeting, planners and Planning Board members explain the reasons for the Aspen Hill Vision Study. This effort aims to recommend ways of reducing and eliminating traffic fatalities and injuries in the Aspen Hill community, as part of Montgomery County’s Vision Zero policy. - ReactMap Promo
The digital ReactMap allows community members to text their answers to questions posted by planners about issues related to the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan. The goal of this outreach is to encourage public dialogue about needed transportation, streetscape and business improvements in the Georgia Avenue corridor area.