ADDRESS, STATE PLANNING CONFERENCE
COLLEGE PARK
December 3, 1960

I am delighted indeed to be here today to take part in this Con-
ference on Planning, and I am pleased to see so many of you here.
This splendid turnout is a clear indication of the importance local
and regional planning has assumed in our thinking in Maryland. I
must confess I have no special training in the theory and applica-
tion of planning, and therefore I shall leave those aspects of our
subject to the experts, whom we have here today in great numbers,
I am pleased to see.

I should like to begin by stating a proposition, plain to all of
us, that there are very few communities remaining in our State which
can afford the luxury of continued natural growth without plan-
ning. Orderly planning is not only desirable, but is indeed a neces-
sity. This is so primarily because of the phenomenal growth of our
State. The increase in population of Maryland during the past dec-
ade is truly remarkable. With a 32. 3 per cent increase over the last
ten years, it ranks third among the Atlantic Coast states, exceeded
only by Florida and our neighboring Delaware. Maryland added
757, 688 people to its total population between 1950 and 1960.

The internal movement of population is another factor which con-
tributes to the need of planning, particularly the flight from cities
and towns to suburban areas. Specific problems, partially resulting
from the population increase, but also due to the burgeoning of
suburban areas, are the deterioration of the older central-city areas
and the uncontrolled "mushrooming" and "string development" in
outlying neighborhoods. An indiscriminate mixture of residential,
commercial and industrial construction can lead only to one end—the
development of new blight areas.

With the migration of younger people to the industrial centers,
and the consequent economic distress of many communities, a nation-
wide movement to attract industry has contributed to the establish-
ment of state and local economic development committees and agen-
cies. As one of my first acts as Governor, a new Department of Eco-
nomic Development was established for Maryland. Following the
establishment of this new State agency many communities of the
State have set up local economic development agencies. There is keen
competition among the states, and among the communities within the

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