After many months of careful preparation and thoughtful planning, Preservation Maryland announced it would launch Smart Growth Maryland, a new campaign of Preservation Maryland.
Preservation is smart growth, and for the past several years Preservation Maryland has been broadening its message to make the case for the critical role historic places can play in creating healthy, sustainable and livable communities across the state. 1000 Friends of Maryland, the statewide smart growth organization, which has been at the forefront of this work for over 20 years, will end their independent operations and become a robust campaign of Preservation Maryland. This absorption of activities will result in increased efficiencies, bigger impacts and more donor dollars put towards the critical work of helping save historic places and grow smarter.
Preservation Maryland was one of the founding members of 1000 Friends of Maryland in 1994 and has remained a partner throughout the years by advocating for the policies and programs that make redevelopment of historic communities and protection of open space a reality. The urgency of this work and need for a dedicated campaign linking these two critical issues was only made clearer following the devastating flood in Ellicott City earlier this year.
Kimberly Golden Brandt, the Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Maryland, will lead this new campaign, now as an employee of Preservation Maryland, as the Director of Smart Growth Maryland.
Preservation Maryland Executive Director Nicholas Redding explained,“This is a momentous day for preservation and smart growth. Today we make the link between our symbiotic work official – this new campaign is the beginning of a new era for preservation and one we are proud to lead right here in Maryland.”
This new development and campaign will not change the mission of Preservation Maryland – the organization will remain as committed as ever to the value of the state’s heritage and saving history. Preservation Maryland will continue to save threatened historic sites, to provide grants, to advocate and to educate. This new campaign will give the organization the ability to advocate for an even greater set of policies and programs that make preservation work possible – from community revitalization to open space preservation and beyond.