Why does Baltimore get treated like the "red-headed stepchild" of the East Coast? (Gaithersburg: 2014, new construction)

[GustavoFring]

Everything I need to know I learned from The Wire and my ex-gf, who was a Baltimore native.... jk...kinda

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by barante

I should have been more specific in my dismissive comment about Tom Lennox70.

What is it about Randallstown, Pikesville and Lansdowne that you don't like since they specifically are singled out? Tens of thousands live in them, of free choice.

Additionally, plenty of new investment is going to Lansdowne.

Furthermore: "Also, a lot of people from New York and DC look down on Maryland as not being sophisticated enough thru their elitist lens," Tom writes.

Isn't it interesting that the Pikesville area is the metro region's chief magnet of families from New York?

Seven hundred thousand people live in Detroit of free choice despite atrocious schools and now bodies being dumped on empty streets. Just because people live there doesn't mean an area is immune from criticism.

Vacant Detroit becomes dumping ground for the dead - US news - NBCNews.com

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

The point Barante seems to be trying to make is that the abandoned areas of DC, what few of them remain, may be similar in appearance to those of Baltimore ... but due to the factors he listed, they are vastly different. Or perhaps, their "potential" is.

Admittedly, I don't go to DC very often, but when I do, I am about as shocked as Barante at what's going on.

He's right to a degree. Nothing in Anacostia quite measures up to the desolation that can be seen in wide swaths of Baltimore. However DC still has it's ghettos. Also a lot of the gentrification in Anacostia goes unnoticed since the gentrifiers are young black professionals.

[barante]

Here is a blashback to the background of our recent Baltimore/DC conversation .

To those who cannot figure out why I introduce this c. 1975 song here, it triggered a fierce debate. There is a whole body of scholarly work you may find referenced on google and google scholar.

How do we interpret this song today?


Parliament - Chocolate City - YouTube

[barante]

D.C. police chief says predicting crime is way to protect new development in district - The Washington Post

[barante]

Washington, DC-14th street Columbia Heights - YouTube This clip is a year-old now and a lot has changed to gentrify Columbia Heights, above U and along 14th.The first turning point was the construction of a new city office building. Then came the Metro. A crescent of infill revitalization is now, bridging Columbia Heights to Adams Morgan.

Meanwhile, Baltimore keeps sponsoring the Grand Prix! No wonder the outside world keeps laughing at us.

[Uptkid]

Lol @ the grand prix hahahaha Baltimore is so simple

[Hamish Forbes]

Interesting topic -- Baltimore v. Washington.

This year, 2012, we commemorate the war of 1812, and remember that Olde Baltimore stopped the advance of the British after they had burned much of Washington to the ground. Fort McHenry, The Star Spangled Banner, and all of that.

Maybe Washingtonians shouldn't be too uppity after all . . .

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by Hamish Forbes

Interesting topic -- Baltimore v. Washington.

This year, 2012, we commemorate the war of 1812, and remember that Olde Baltimore stopped the advance of the British after they had burned much of Washington to the ground. Fort McHenry, The Star Spangled Banner, and all of that.

Maybe Washingtonians shouldn't be too uppity after all . . .

With little resistance, I might add.

[Woodlands]

One striking difference between Baltimore and some of the other Cities in the NE.. is that while in DC and maybe parts of Philly transit has SPURRED development/redevelopment. Transit is often SPURN development in Baltimore. From the incomplete subway and light rail system to the fight for/against the red line. In DC many folk in Georgetown may wish that they could roll back the clock on their decision to not allow metro through their hood. I doubt there are many neighborhoods in Baltimore that wish that they had the Light Rail Line or the Metro subway running through their neighborhoods.. In fact many are probably celebrating the fact that they dont have it or are trying to close the stations that they do have.. Linthicum comes to mind with their efforts to close the Light Rail Station there and Ruxton's efforts to successfully keep one from opening. Philadelphia has a long established rail transit system.. which is leading to the revitalization of some areas that have stations...transit has also spurred the redevelopment of a section of North Philadelphia along Girard Ave where they have re-established trolley service.

Even if Baltimore had a well developed Subway system I am not sure that the impact would be what you see in DC around the DC Metro stops...save the few in PG County that are just now trying to promote transit oriented develoment around them. You would have a few successful developments around some BMO stations.. but not a huge amount.. which goes back to the whole white collar job, corporate headquarters, major company downtown discussions in many threads.. In fact.. Baltimore may be fortunate to some degree not to have major suburban transit hubs like New Carrollton, Silver Spring etc. If White Marsh had the Metro Subway, bus transfer station and an Amtrak Station like New Carrollton.. it would could actually siphon some business and development away from Downtown. Imagine a Town Center like development(aka Silver Spring) at White Marsh.. suburban, on I-95, AMTRAK and MARC service....between DC and NYC.. It could be an attractive residential, business, and commercial center to chagrin of downtown.. Especially if suburban delegates kept playing up negative ads like downtown is dirty, unsafe, and has high taxes.....