As the City of Bowie continues to grow, critical decisions concerning land use must begin to consider the environmental disturbances inherent in development. Studies are indicating that standard land-use practices are detrimental to environmental protection, in that they increase paved surfaces, diminish wildlife habitat, and increase soil erosion and runoff into local streams and rivers during storms. As the nature of development in itself is proving to be detrimental to environmental protection, the City of Bowie is committed to promoting a more environmentally sensitive approach to land use and site design, and has adopted legislation that will ensure that all municipal capital projects will be conducted in accordance with the principles of sustainability.
Sustainable development codes, or "Smart Codes", that regulate energy conservation, air quality, water conservation, and material use are becoming more prominent in local governments across the country. The City of Bowie does not have zoning authority over its jurisdiction, and is governed by the zoning ordinances of Prince George's County. The recently adopted General Plan commits the County to preserving, enhancing and restoring the natural environment and its ecological functions as the basic component of a sustainable development pattern. This goal is to be achieved by evaluating land development regulations and building codes to provide for the implementation of more environmentally sensitive building techniques such as:
Resource Conservation
Deconstruction
Habitat Protection
Occupant HealthLow Impact Development
Renewable Energy
Conservation Landscaping
Sustainable Development considers life cycle impacts on natural resources, aiming to prevent excessive consumption and environmental exploitation. Incorporating sustainability principles, concepts and techniques into City operations will help institutionalize these concepts and encourage their widespread adoption. Municipal demonstration projects will provide County code officials the necessary case studies used to substantiate code revision and build the internal capacity to conduct capital projects sustainably.