|
|
 |
| |
 Baltimore Gateways
Like
many American cities, Baltimore has grown and spread. The
city’s edge now collides with bordering communities in
surrounding counties. The perimeter is characterized by
freeways
ringing the city. Formerly distinct communities
here have
dissolved into an amorphous no-man’s land – highly
visible,
yet unattractive, neglected, and without any “sense of
place.”
“Baltimore Gateways,” an initiative of AIA Baltimore, will
address this margin, developing a pilot project in the border community
of Brooklyn to reconstitute it as a hub with its own identity and
vitality.
Recognizing that the success of a metropolitan region depends on the
health of its parts, city and county officials are focusing on these
border areas, especially as the trend of urban flight reverses, and
suburbanites return to city living.
The creation of “places” with their own character
and
identity can be a catalyst for new infill and reconstruction within a
currently unwelcoming built environment. Plans can respond to
social, economic, political, and infrastructure needs and put critical
emphasis on transit networks and pedestrian-friendly design.
To that end, AIA
Baltimore, city and county officials, the Greater
Baltimore Committee, Parks and People, neighborhood groups and the
Neighborhood Design Center gathered to identify the scope, schedule and
methodology for a pilot project in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
This project offers the opportunity for a coalition of business
interests, community leaders, public agencies, nonprofit groups, and
professional societies to draw on their particular expertise and
resources for the benefit of the whole city.
In addition to choosing Brooklyn as the pilot area, the steering group
also determined that involvement of regional and state transportation
and recreation agencies was crucial to the project’s success.
After developing the necessary support structure for the initiative,
the steering group presented the project to the Brooklyn and Brooklyn
Park communities in January 2007. The meeting confirmed the
importance of issues identified in previous studies, and brought to
light additional concerns of local residents. Subsequent
meetings
with individuals and groups in the communities helped identify other
issues to be addressed in a community planning workshop focusing on the
Brooklyn commercial district.
The workshop considered aesthetic, economic, and social issues as well
as neighborhood concerns and needs, transit opportunities, and
pedestrian amenities. AIA
Baltimore and its partners will test
the findings of the workshop in small focus groups and will present a
report to the Brooklyn community.
This initiative, in addition to helping revitalize Brooklyn, will
create a process that can be duplicated in other communities to respond
effectively to their needs, whether on the edge or in the center of
Baltimore City.
View all Blueprint Initiatives |
|
| |
|
| |
|
