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Woodlands, you always have well written posts and logical ways of looking at problems.
My idea is that they should put all of these clinics, homeless shelters, and services that serve such people in one place, not in the neighborhoods, because investors and prospective residents would be put off by having such establishments in gentrifying neighborhoods. The neighborhood around Our Daily Bread at 725 Fallsway, a warehouse district just south of the big prison, would be ideal as that is where several such establishments have recently located. Since Our Daily Bread moved there from their former location across from the Pratt library on Cathedral Street, that part of Cathedral Street presents a much better image of Baltimore to guests at the hotel on the corner of Cathedral and Franklin.
Great point! There are still several methadone clinics in downtown that I know are seriously off putting to businesses and potential re-developers. People are less likely to locate their businesses or live in neighborhoods that are attracting "zombies"... especially when there are other neighborhoods (or other cities even) that don't have them.
Spreading out locally unwanted land uses (LULU's) into previously viable, healthy areas is a great way to diminish property values and destroy your tax base. The city needs to think about how it can alter land use and zoning practices to encourage economic development.
Woodlands, you always have well written posts and logical ways of looking at problems.
My idea is that they should put all of these clinics, homeless shelters, and services that serve such people in one place, not in the neighborhoods, because investors and prospective residents would be put off by having such establishments in gentrifying neighborhoods. The neighborhood around Our Daily Bread at 725 Fallsway, a warehouse district just south of the big prison, would be ideal as that is where several such establishments have recently located. Since Our Daily Bread moved there from their former location across from the Pratt library on Cathedral Street, that part of Cathedral Street presents a much better image of Baltimore to guests at the hotel on the corner of Cathedral and Franklin.
That is a good idea.. kind of a one stop shop for social/human services.. I am sure someone will get on here and flame us and accuse us trying to isolate the homeless and downtrodden...but I feel a one stop and centralized location near public transit is not a bad thing in an urban city. Another option would be to limit the size or number of patrons of facilities in residential districts or to allow them only in commercial zones (which may be the case now.. not sure).
I would ask anyone with such a criticism of a central location to identify where they live and if they have these types of facilities within earshot of their homes. Often times the main people who criticize others for not tolerating something live the furtherest from or are more insulated from the very thing that they are advocating others be tolerent of...... though they dont have to put up with it. That or they would invite others to simply "move" which may not be financially feasible or desireable....
That is a good idea.. kind of a one stop shop for social services.. I am sure someone will get on here and flame us and accuse us trying to isolate the homeless and downtrodden...but I feel a one stop and centralized location near public transit is not a bad thing in an urban city. Another option would be to limit the size or number of patrons of facilities in residential districts or to allow them only in commercial zones (which may be the case now.. not sure). I would ask anyone with such a criticism to identify where they live and if they have these types of facilities within earshot of their homes often times the main people who criticize others for not tolerating something live the furtherest from or are more insulated from the very thing that they are advocating others be tolerent of though they dont have to put up with it or they would invite others to simply "move" which may not be financially feasible or desireable....
I agree with a centralized location near metro, lightrail, or bus.
My problem with her is that she could care less about the city. She simply cares about what tourist think of the city and tries to hide the REAL Baltimore. First of all she started a program that tears down complete neighborhoods that have been there for more than 150 years and leaves them vacant for developers that will never take the opportunity to rebuild the lots. How about rehab the homes and keep baltimores character! Its terrible
Once upon a time I thought that Baltimore should do everything possible to save/rehab its old homes and not tear down any. Unfortunately some of these are so far gone, that they should be torn down and the city has torn down some. The problem is that vacants are dangerous, attract crime and decay, and stretch the city's infrastructure to provide basic services to these blocks. The fire department puts red Xs on properties it will not enter due to safety concerns, and there are whole blocks of these. These places should be torn down, the utility lines capped and abandoned. This city needs to rightsize itself and unfortunately tearing down some of the most dilapidated structures are an important part of doing that.
Just out of curiosity a couple years ago I plugged in the addresses from David Simon's 1989 book Homicide and mid 1990s The Corner into googlemaps and most of them were torn down, empty lots with grass growing. Census data supports that people are leaving the poorest areas of east and west Baltimore. It will be easier and safer for these areas to rebound in the future fi they are blank slates.
There is a trend of younger people, the Millenials, and empty nesters coming to live in the cities for the vibrant life and convenient access. This is powered by employment opportunites. DC has the federal government and its contractors and lobbyists; Baltimore has non profits, Hopkins, healthcare, UnderArmour - a smaller city with less employment opportunity than DC, or Philly, or NYC.
Yet Baltimore is the cheapest urban area of potential in the Northeast Corridor. So it will bounce back. But not in neighborhoods that are not easily accessible, have dilapidated housing stock, are not close to employment and entertainment opportunities. Remember that Baltimore grew from its port and railroad and manufacturing, then its in the city suburbs expanded int eh early 1920s with the streetcars. I predict he 20th C streetcar neighborhoods will grow; the 19th C small industrial worker rowhome neighborhoods will not as they are not needed or desired anymore.
Baltimore will always have its history and its character, but just like NYC and DC, its character will change over time. Given the status quo, that's not really a bad thing. Change is the only permanent in life; the second law of thermodynamics states that entropy is increasing. Just that way it is.
I think centralized social services is an excellent idea. Dixon seemed to be thinking along this path, SRB not.
Along those same lines.. I wonder why the City doesnt have a Central Transportation Center for the MTA Buses downtown? Maybe its logistically impossible.. but there have been discussions on this board about one being built on the surface lot next to Lexington Market. It could technically house all the MTA Bus transfers for downtown rather than spanning them out up and down Howard Street. A safe partially enclosed Center could be a good thing.. MTA Police could move there operations in there which will keep it safe in addition to providing a weather proof place for people to transfer. Light Rail and the Subway are just a block away....Commuter Buses could also arrive and depart from here. I wont even mention Greyhound, Bolt or Mega.. because they seem firmly rooted elsewhere.... I know people will say it will destroy Lex Market.. but it could actually help it with the larger MTA Police presence and bring in a solid customer base from riders...... I guess the presence of so many MTA Riders... given their economic diversity and various walks of life.. may not be part of the vision for the new westside.....
Once upon a time I thought that Baltimore should do everything possible to save/rehab its old homes and not tear down any. Unfortunately some of these are so far gone, that they should be torn down and the city has torn down some. The problem is that vacants are dangerous, attract crime and decay, and stretch the city's infrastructure to provide basic services to these blocks. The fire department puts red Xs on properties it will not enter due to safety concerns, and there are whole blocks of these. These places should be torn down, the utility lines capped and abandoned. This city needs to rightsize itself and unfortunately tearing down some of the most dilapidated structures are an important part of doing that.
Just out of curiosity a couple years ago I plugged in the addresses from David Simon's 1989 book Homicide and mid 1990s The Corner into googlemaps and most of them were torn down, empty lots with grass growing. Census data supports that people are leaving the poorest areas of east and west Baltimore. It will be easier and safer for these areas to rebound in the future fi they are blank slates.
There is a trend of younger people, the Millenials, and empty nesters coming to live in the cities for the vibrant life and convenient access. This is powered by employment opportunites. DC has the federal government and its contractors and lobbyists; Baltimore has non profits, Hopkins, healthcare, UnderArmour - a smaller city with less employment opportunity than DC, or Philly, or NYC.
Yet Baltimore is the cheapest urban area of potential in the Northeast Corridor. So it will bounce back. But not in neighborhoods that are not easily accessible, have dilapidated housing stock, are not close to employment and entertainment opportunities. Remember that Baltimore grew from its port and railroad and manufacturing, then its in the city suburbs expanded int eh early 1920s with the streetcars. I predict he 20th C streetcar neighborhoods will grow; the 19th C small industrial worker rowhome neighborhoods will not as they are not needed or desired anymore.
Baltimore will always have its history and its character, but just like NYC and DC, its character will change over time. Given the status quo, that's not really a bad thing. Change is the only permanent in life; the second law of thermodynamics states that entropy is increasing. Just that way it is.
Very insightful, thank you for your contribution.
I work for a non profit in the city that helps rehabilitate homes and let me tell you its no easy project. The difficulties we face are A) The willingness of future homeowners to move to certain neighborhoods B) Landlords refusing to sell their abandoned piece of garbage by letting it rot ( In hopes for a miraculous turnaround in the neighborhood) C) Selective folks in the neighborhood refusing to accept any diversity.
But at the end of the day, There has been more good than bad and the evidence can be seen on East Jefferson Street. From my perspective, the hardest factor to rejuvenate neighborhoods is to convince middle and upper class families to move into these neighborhoods. I mean, the city can't even develope the Druid Hill Park area, one of the most beautiful spots on the West Side. I dedicated a thread on the matter because if the Druid Hill area ( Reservoir Hill, Auchetroloy Terrace) can become the next Bolton Hill, we can see a positive Domino effect. The good news is that the Jewish community is starting to move back to Reservoir Hill.
I work for a non profit in the city that helps rehabilitate homes and let me tell you its no easy project. The difficulties we face are A) The willingness of future homeowners to move to certain neighborhoods B) Landlords refusing to sell their abandoned piece of garbage by letting it rot ( In hopes for a miraculous turnaround in the neighborhood) C) Selective folks in the neighborhood refusing to accept any diversity.
But at the end of the day, There has been more good than bad and the evidence can be seen on East Jefferson Street. From my perspective, the hardest factor to rejuvenate neighborhoods is to convince middle and upper class families to move into these neighborhoods. I mean, the city can't even develope the Druid Hill Park area, one of the most beautiful spots on the West Side. I dedicated a thread on the matter because if the Druid Hill area ( Reservoir Hill, Auchetroloy Terrace) can become the next Bolton Hill, we can see a positive Domino effect. The good news is that the Jewish community is starting to move back to Reservoir Hill.
Just curious on why the jewish community is returning to Res Hill? I know that the area was formerly jewish.. just curious on what may have prompted their resurgence?
I often wonder if the Jewish community would return to Lower Park Heights.. atleast the areas just south of Northern Parkway from Glen along Park Heights Ave or just behind Sinai in Cylburn Levendale.. but I dont think that is going to be the case.. especially if they are leaping over it to return to Res Hill
Just curious on why the jewish community is returning to Res Hill? I know that the area was formerly jewish.. just curious on what may have prompted their resurgence?
I often wonder if the Jewish community would return to Lower Park Heights.. atleast the areas just south of Northern Parkway from Glen along Park Heights Ave or just behind Sinai in Cylburn Levendale.. but I dont think that is going to be the case.. especially if they are leaping over it to return to Res Hill
The Synagogue has been part of the revitalization process at Reservoir Hill and is making strives to bring back a urban Jewish community. Its one of the only active synagogues left in urban Baltimore and its right on Eutaw Place. According to its newsletter, about a dozen Jewish families has moved to the neighborhood, 'which was more than in 2005'.
Along those same lines.. I wonder why the City doesnt have a Central Transportation Center for the MTA Buses downtown? Maybe its logistically impossible.. but there have been discussions on this board about one being built on the surface lot next to Lexington Market. It could technically house all the MTA Bus transfers for downtown rather than spanning them out up and down Howard Street. A safe partially enclosed Center could be a good thing.. MTA Police could move there operations in there which will keep it safe in addition to providing a weather proof place for people to transfer. Light Rail and the Subway are just a block away....Commuter Buses could also arrive and depart from here. I wont even mention Greyhound, Bolt or Mega.. because they seem firmly rooted elsewhere.... I know people will say it will destroy Lex Market.. but it could actually help it with the larger MTA Police presence and bring in a solid customer base from riders...... I guess the presence of so many MTA Riders... given their economic diversity and various walks of life.. may not be part of the vision for the new westside.....
Eutaw Street near Lexington Market is already too congested with slow-moving vehicular and erratic pedestrian traffic due to the popularity of LM's and other nearby destinations. Any plan to use the adjacent surface lot as a transit hub requiring access to Eutaw would create massive headaches for already frustrated transit riders as well as further reducing traffic for folks driving. Given the number of MTA routes serving the area within the square of Park, Paca, Baltimore and Fayette (to facilitate bus, lightrail and subway transfers), the only possible configuration that can serve transit riders reasonably well is probably the one that is currently in place.
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I guess the presence of so many MTA Riders... given their economic diversity and various walks of life.. may not be part of the vision for the new westside.....
