With spring here, my audacious idea is to ride your bike to work. I know this sounds crazy when you think of the narrow streets of Baltimore but, this city has the potential to become a great bike city. For its size, 630,000 residents, it is very compact, making many of its neighborhoods easy to […]
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Green technology as the next great innovation
Tuesday, January 20, 2009As communities continue to endure the effects of a slumping national economy, it is imperative we utilize this opportunity to reassess the systems and programs of government. These times require us being innovative in our approach to transform government to be smarter and more efficient. Shifting the way we operate now will leave us in […]
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Rebuild schools, create (green) jobs for local communities
Monday, December 01, 2008Imagine walking into a Baltimore City public school, noticing immediately the light streaming in through the windows, the attractive rooms where children are excitedly discussing their latest project, the sound of a flute coming from the music room. Could this be a Baltimore City school? YES, IT COULD be, if Baltimore citizens and leaders team […]
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Baltimore Green Map
Monday, November 17, 2008I believe that the self-image of our city would be infinitely improved if we could hold in our mind’s eye not just the scenic characteristics that define it – waterfront, stream valleys, parks, monuments, architectural landmarks, major thoroughfares – but also the many elements that show a cleaner, greener, safer, healthier Baltimore to be a […]
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So…where’s the bailout for Baltimore?
Monday, October 13, 2008It must be lost in the jumbled priorities of Washington. And it’s a real shame. Because with a little help, cities like Baltimore could bail out the entire country. Everyone seems to agree that America needs to become energy independent. And that we need to find a way to lower energy prices. And that we […]
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Transforming the urban ecosystem
Monday, March 17, 2008Is urban ecology an oxymoron? Not at all. The sooner we recognize that cities, people, and nature are inextricably linked, the better off we will all be. In order to broaden our focus from fixing what’s broken, we can treat this city as a design problem, as a system of interrelated parts, and begin to […]
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Uniting Baltimore through one connected park
Monday, December 10, 2007“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized.” Daniel Burnham, 1846-1912, architect and urban visionary Imagine a Baltimore where everyone lived within a few blocks of a park. Where you could walk easily throughout the city in a safe green network that connects school […]
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Operation Pawpaw: a (food) security plan for Baltimore
Monday, November 26, 2007According to farmers and environmental activists, both the supply and the demand for locally sourced food have increased exponentially each year. The benefits of this movement are many, from the preservation of farmland (and the slowing of sprawl) to the reduced carbon load (grocery store produce travels an average of 1,500 miles to your table). […]
