Public Space Management Plan

About the Public Space Management Plan

The purpose of this project is to develop a Public Space Management Plan to provide a vision, goals, and guidance on how public space will be used and maintained in Takoma Park.

Current Status

The City is working with the planning firm CHPlanning to complete the Public Space Management Plan. The firm is currently processing the work done to date and completing an analysis of existing conditions. The next steps, once the existing conditions assessment is complete will be to develop preliminary draft recommendations for the public to respond to.

• Public Space Community Meeting Presentation – June 27th (Link)

October Public Space Workshop Series, Fall 2021

Throughout the month of October, City staff hosted a series of five community workshops in locations around the City and online. The workshops centered around an interactive game. The goal was to collect information about the values residents hold about parks, sidewalks, streeteries, bike lanes, and other public spaces!

Public Space Management Plan Survey, Fall/Winter 2020

In September, 2020, the City of Takoma Park released a survey that invited all residents of Takoma Park to share their opinions about public space management priorities and opinions about the current state of public space in the city.  To learn more about how residents responded, check out the Public Space Management Plan Survey Results (Summary).

Streetscape Manual

Takoma Park’s streetscape is a vital and significant part of our city. Our streetscape has amenities that guide our bicycles, pedestrians, and automobiles safely over our streets and walkways. It also reflects continuity with our history and with the values that bind us together as a residential community.

Assessment of Park Quality, Proximity, and Race, Summer 2020

The planning staff is developing tools to guide decisions about access and improvements in public space. These tools include a park amenity data collection process, a park grading scale, and an analytic distance matrix process with racial demographics to look at accessibility.

The Assessment of Park Quality, Proximity, and Race will help to identify gaps where the city can improve on public space quality and accessibility with respect to racial demographics. When combined with Census block group racial demographic data, the Mapbox Matrix API portion of this project provides data on park proximity within the city on different racial groups and what kinds of parks and amenities are most accessible to these same demographics (active parks or passive parks). These preliminary findings may help the city prioritize the development of more public space amenities for underserved people and areas in the City.

Planning staff has created two interactive webmaps which can be used to visualized data from this three part analysis. The webmaps can be viewed using the links below.
–  Park Inventory and Quality Assessment
–  Proximity Analysis

Project Lead & Contact Info

Alex Freedman
Planner
Phone: 301-891-7213
Email: planning@takomaparkmd.gov

Quicklinks

• Planning and Community Development
• Takoma Park Demographics Interactive Map
• Takoma Park Social Vulnerability Map
• Bikeways Program
• Bus Stop Improvements
• Maple Avenue Connectivity Project
• Metropolitan Branch Trail Upgrade
• Minor Master Plan Amendment
• New Ave Bikeway
• Public Space Management Plan
• Safe Routes to School
• We Belong Here: The Takoma Park Equity Walk

Links & Notes

January 2021 — Public Space Survey Results (Summary)

July 29, 2020 — City Staff presented a Public Space assessment to Council on park quality, proximity, and race. Agenda; Video of Council Presentation; Presentation Slides

January 22, 2020 — Council Work Session to Review Scope of Work, Draft Goals, and Timeline for Public Space Management Plan

November 14, 2018 — Council Work Session on the Review of Scope of Work for Public Lands Management Plan

July 20, 2016 — Resolution Adopting the Takoma Park Streetscape Manual

March 3, 2015 — Council Discussion of Public Land and Open Space Management Planning

Project Timeline

• October 2022
  Council review and vote on recommendations
• September 2022
  Council presentation and community feedback on semifinal draft
• August to September 2022
  Development of semifinal draft recommendations and community feedback process
• July to August 2022
  Development of preliminary draft recommendations and community feedback process
• June 27, 2022
  Introductory Community Meeting
• May to June 2022
  CHPlanning begins planning process; examines existing work and conducts new background research
• January 2022
  Release Request for Proposals (link) for a consulting firm to complete PSMP
• October 2021
  Public Space Values Workshop series
  
• March 2021
  Streetscape Manual Update with Webmap (link)
  
• March 2021
  Public Space Management Plan Survey Results (link)
• Fall 2020
  Community On-line Survey
  
• July 2020
  Park Quality and Proximity Study
  
• January 2020
  Council Reviews Scope of Work, Draft Goals, and Timeline for Public Space Management Plan (link)
• Fall 2019
  Park Inventory
  
• November 2018
  Council Reviews Scope of Work for Public Space Management Plan (link)

Research Documents and Links