Practicing ArchitectureAwards

2010 HONORARY MEMBERSHIP

Former Governor of Maryland, Parris N. Glendening, Hon. AIA is the founder and president of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, a nationwide coalition of nearly 100 organizations. He travels the country advising governors, other elected officials, state and community leaders, architects, planners, developers, and environmental organizations about the dangers of urban sprawl and its effect on our health, our prosperity, and our communities. Speaking to dozens of audiences annually, including presentations for architects and many AIA components, he recommends a range of solutions that emphasize the important linkages between community design, density, and sustainability to counteract the destructive forces of urban sprawl.

While Governor from 1995 to 2003, he leveraged the entire state budget in support of smart growth objectives with an aggressive plan whose legacy has been a fundamental shift in the paradigm through which states and communities approach design. His smart growth policies have helped to legitimize, raise awareness of, and encourage the use of sustainability-oriented design principles that enhance each community’s unique sense of place. Many other states have followed suit with their own smart growth policies, including California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, and Utah.

In his letter of nomination, James P. Batchelor, FAIA, 2009 president of the Boston Society of Architects/AIA, wrote “Perhaps the clearest example of the influence Governor Glendening has had on the environment can be found by running an academic or even a simple Internet search of the phrase “smart growth.” The innovations that arose within his administration have generated an entire body of research and literature on smart growth policy, fueling a movement that helps to shape communities and informs related design philosophies like New Urbanism and Livability.”

While the specific smart growth policies enacted under Governor Glendening’s leadership are numerous, several bear particular relevance to the field of architecture because they support innovative, context-sensitive architectural design. In 1998, he established a Smart Growth Subcabinet to bring these design principles to the forefront of state policy and governmental operations. In 2000, he introduced, and the legislation passed Smart Codes legislation that established a new statewide Building Rehabilitation Code Program. This reform effort, which was informed by builders, architects, planners, code officials, and others created model infill, compact, and mixed-use development codes that make it easier to invest in smart rehabilitation of existing structures.

In 2005, AIA Philadelphia invited him to be the keynote speaker at the Design on the Delaware conference. In his keynote address he reminded the architects that “With or without a statewide Smart Growth framework, however, you are all the ones with the power to really translate the ideas of smart growth into real, livable places. You have the power to truly impact the feel of a place, and the quality of life for the people who live in it.”

While Governor Glendening’s impact upon design and land-use in Maryland is substantial, it is the fact that his leadership has resulted in a national and even global movement for smart growth practices that truly reveals the profound impact of his work on architecture and its allied fields. Smart growth as a concept existed before him, but smart growth in practice can be traced directly to his administration and is sustained today in no small part through his continuing visionary leadership.

David M. Schwarz, AIA, summarizes Glendening’s contributions best in his letter of support, “He understood it would take partnering with local governments to revise building codes to encourage growth and investments in existing neighborhoods… Few have left a more permanent imprint on land use and environmental policies than Governor Parris Glendening.”

Parris N. Glendening, Hon. AIA

2010 JURY FOR HONORARY MEMBERS

James H. Eley, FAIA
(Chair)
Eley Associates Architect
Jackson, Miss.

Mary Fitch, Hon. AIA
AIA Washington DC
Washington, D.C.

Leslie J. Thomas, AIA
Thomas Bracy Architects,
PLLC
Concord, N.H.