Students will be able to:
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Describe and explain growth and settlement patterns in Central Maryland throughout the 20th Century.
Social Studies: Goal 3 -
Geography: The student will
demonstrate an understanding of geographic concepts and processes to
examine the role of culture, technology, and the environment in the
location and distribution of human activities throughout history.
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Indicator 3.1.2 - The student will evaluate the role of government in addressing land use and other environmental issues.
US History Indicator 3.1.1. - The student will analyze the importance of cultural and physical geographic factors on patterns of movement and settlement of people in the 19th and 20th centuries.
| As our population grows, patterns of human settlement are becoming more important to our overall societal goals of protecting wildlife habitat and water quality, preserving farmland, and maintaining healthy, economically vibrant communities. Questions about how and where we live are also critical at the individual level to quality of life and personal preferences. Students will have an opportunity to review maps of past and planned growth, and to identify the factors, including government policies that lead to particular patterns of growth. |
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Describe the development pattern from 1900 through 1960.
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Describe the development pattern from 1960 through 1997.
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Compare the development patterns during these two periods in terms of population growth and land use. How did development occur differently during these two periods?
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Using the background information provided in Picture Maryland (p. 24), describe the reasons for the differences in the trends for these two periods.
Using information from the Maryland Department of Planning (on enclosed website), review the 1997 Land Use/Land Cover map for your county. Land use is the way in which, and the purposes for which, human beings employ the land and its resources. Land cover is the type of feature present on the surface of the earth, including rivers, forests, and urban areas.
- Describe the current pattern of growth in your county. Look for how developed areas have expanded and how open space has been reduced or fragmented. Note other significant changes.
- Explain why you think growth has occurred in this manner. Consider job centers, existing communities, transportation, and natural resources.
- Fill in the “what do we know” column in the chart below.
- Using the maps of Priority Funding Areas and Rural Legacy, what can you conclude about your county’s plan for growth and conservation? (On each county map, consider any color as part of a Priority Funding Area). Describe where the county has decided to direct growth and where to preserve land.
- Pose questions that can be asked about your county’s plans for growth and preservation.
Use a K-W-H-L Chart to organize your thoughts.
Research the following government policies (or policies in the private sector) and their impacts on land use. Did they encourage sprawl? If so, how? (See Lesson 15 for a discussion of other policies and their affects on land use.)
- GI Bill of 1944 - provided tuition assistance and mortgage subsidies to returning serviceman after World War II, enabling many American families to buy new homes
- Federal Highway Transportation Act of 1956- created the interstate highway system
- Inheritance tax law
- Employer subsidies for downtown parking for their employees
- Government and employer subsidies for mass transit
Additional resources to answer the above questions:
Maryland Department of Transportation: http://www.smarttransportation.com
Surface Transportation Policy Project: http://www.transact.org
Invite a county planner, developer, community group or local elected official to come speak to your class on the questions and issues you have identified. County planning offices are listed in the back cover of Picture Maryland