Welcome Our New PALS Director!

Dear NCSG community,

It’s been a productive (yet oddly restful) summer at NCSG, and as the weather starts to change, we’re getting pretty excited to look forward into a new school year with deeper engagement and new partnerships. 

In August, we said farewell to PALS Director Kimberly Fisher, who retired after ten years building and expanding the PALS Program. Unsurprisingly, Kim’s ice cream social retirement party gave us the chance to bring our on-campus and off-campus colleagues together for fellowship and celebration. Moving forward, I am happy to share the Michelle Kokolis will be our new PALS Director- many of you may have met her at Kim’s retirement party. If you have not yet met Michelle - or if you’re interested in participating in PALS this year, email her at [email protected]. 

This summer we released a DHCD-Commissioned update to the State Housing Needs Assessment. The report found that, not only does the state have a gap of almost 600,000 homes to meet the need across income ranges, but that we currently do not have enough appropriately zoned land to accommodate the need for housing. This tightness in the market impacts access to rental housing and homeownership for younger Marylanders and restricts options for older Marylanders who need affordable and accessible housing as they age.

This fall we welcomed five new graduate assistants to the center who will be helping to advance new projects such as work on transportation and education (with Drs. Ariel Bierbaum and Chester Harvey) and continue existing projects, including the housing instability data tool (with Drs. Kate Howell, Nick Finio and Chester Harvey), among many others. We look forward to working with all of you as we continue our journey of impactful research, thoughtful teaching, and community-driven practice across the region and beyond.

-Kate

On July 24, 2025, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced the release of the 2025 State Housing Needs Assessment. This update to the 2020 Maryland Housing Needs Assessment explains how the lack of affordable housing in all geographic regions of the state is placing an increasing burden on both renters and owners.

The 2025 Maryland Housing Needs Assessment consists of three studies and an executive summary:

• The Assessment’s Executive Summary presents several recommendations to address Maryland’s housing needs.

• The Housing Production and Zoning Capacity study analyzes Maryland’s regulatory landscape, recent trends in housing production, and zoning capacity related to the state’s projected housing growth through 2045.

• The Housing Gaps study analyzes the challenge of housing affordability in Maryland for all residents, with a special focus on vulnerable populations.

• The Housing Needs of Older Adults study analyzes housing needs and trends for Maryland’s older adult population.

Research and analysis for both the 2020 and the 2025 State Housing Needs Assessments were conducted by the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education (NCSG) at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Housing Needs Assessment in the News:

• Affordable housing is becoming increasingly out of reach for many in Maryland, UMD study says (CBS News)

• Maryland is aging quicker — let’s lead the nation in how we respond (Maryland Matters)

• Over half of Maryland renters are cost burdened, DHCD report says (The Daily Record)

• Resisting Desperation for Development: The Power of Community-based Disruption in Rewriting the Culture of Public–Private Redevelopment by Kathryn Howell and Meghan Gough (Link)

• A Data Feminist Approach to Urban Data Practice: Tenant Power Through Eviction Data by Kathryn Howell, Megan Hatch, Elora Lee Raymond, and Benjamin Teresa (Link)

• Changes in the Determinants of Travel Demand for the Washington D.C. Metrorail System After COVID-19: Evidence From a Replication Study
  co-authored by Chester Harvey and Hiroyuki Iseki, and UMD partners (Link)

• Working paper on Preservation Through Tenant Rights in Washington, DC by Kathryn Howell, Casey Dawkins, and Sophie McManus (Link)

• Twenty-Five Years of Smart Growth: Perspectives from Urban and Rural Maryland by Gerrit-Jan Knaap, Eric Tjon Burnstein, and Rebecca Lewis (Link)

• Do Highways Induce Sprawl? Coming to Grips with the Land Use Impacts of Road Projects by Gerrit-Jan Knaap, Uri Avin, and UMD partners (Link)

The 2025 Small Business Anti-Displacement Network Conference: Fostering Resilience is convening November 12-14 at The Hotel at the University of Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Come strategize with us about how to foster resilient small businesses and remain resilient in our anti-displacement work. Early-bird registration closes October 15! 

You’ll hear how organizations and cities are supporting diverse communities and small businesses in this new economic and political landscape. Our keynotes, panels, and workshops will offer practical tools and timely approaches to supporting BIPOC and immigrant communities and entrepreneurs. Informal networking opportunities will help us reenergize.

PLUS: Local community-based organizations will host mobile workshops in neighborhoods around the Washington, D.C. metro area!

Join NCSG faculty at the 2025 ACSP Conference taking place in Minneapolis from October 23-25.

• Garden-Style Preservation: Building institutional & informational capacity for housing in MD featuring Kathryn Howell, Chester Harvey, and Nick Finio

• Beyond the Average: Improving Summaries of Accessibility for Transportation Performance Measurement featuring Chester Harvey

• Beyond Feasibility: Telework, Commuting, and Equity in Post-Pandemic Maryland featuring Chester Harvey

• Journey for Water Security: Using Gamification for Engaging Communities Facing Water-Related Hazards featuring Priscila Alves

Interested in being more involved with NCSG?

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