The purpose of this website

Welcome to this site. The University of Maryland is very unique in many ways. If someone ever takes the time to tour the campus they will see just how a beautiful and well kept place it is. However one of the most interesting things about the school itself is the city that surrounds it. College Park, Maryland is a small city located just 9 miles outside Washington, DC. Although the University itself may represent high-class and sophistication the city of College Park itself gives off a very different vibe.

If someone who has never seen the school drives down Route 1 to get to the University of Maryland they may be a little confused by the city they are driving through. The city has a very dirty look. This is only emphasized by the fact that the city itself has such a high contrast to the University. Crime is also a pretty big problem (although not major) .The image of the city does not portray the same image that the University does.

The 'Rethink College Park' program plans to change the image of the city of College Park. This Program consists of many different initiatives that are renovation which will happen on off the campus (on Route 1 especially).

Below is a map of college park with each park of the Re-think College Park program shaded a different color. The part shaded in green is the East Campus Redevelopment Initiative.

One of these many initiatives is the 'East Campus Redevelopment Initiative'. This initiative plans to redevelop the Route 1 corridor to the the east of Route 1. The ultimate goal of the East Campus project is to strengthen the image of College Park and Route 1. The purpose of this website is for me to give my commentary on the East Campus Project. I will also be relating the East Campus project to the themes of "Historic Preservation 200: The Everyday and American Environment" course at the University of Maryland.

I hope you enjoy the site and feel free to leave comments and feedback on the blog posts. Thank You.