FT 10

Green Infrastructure in a Revitalizing Dense Urban Neighborhood

Like many older cities across the globe, Baltimore has experienced population declines, social change and economic challenges in recent decades.  The Parks & People Foundation (a non-profit that creates and supports educational, recreational and environmental programs and partnerships that work to unite citizens, academia and government agencies to improve the open spaces of Baltimore) has been working for many years to engage Baltimore residents in vacant lot conversion to parks and gardens and tree planting projects.   The Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) has been working with Parks & People, the USDA Forest Service Urban Forestry Work Group, and the National Science Foundation funded Baltimore urban Long Term Ecological Research project to test ideas about linkages between social and ecological revitalization of urban watersheds.  This work has been centered in WS263, a 376 ha sewershed that drains to Baltimore Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay.  The watershed covers all or parts of 11 neighborhoods and is home to 28,214 people, a decline from 31,644 in 2000 and 40,641 in 1990, and contains 2000 vacant or abandoned residential properties.  A variety of green infrastructure features have been implemented including installation of 20 bio-infiltration projects, planting of 1200 street trees, renovation of over 300 vacant lots, removal of 4 acres asphalt from schoolyards. On this trip we will visit a variety of green infrastructure features that have been installed in WS263 with a focus on how these can catalyze social cohesion and stimulate socio-economic revitalization.  We will walk through the neighborhood, discuss delivery of environmental education programs and have a picnic lunch.