A Message from Chris Ryer, Director

Throughout May and June, the Department of Planning started to host public events across Baltimore - our first events of this nature since early 2020. We heard across the board from attendees that residents have really enjoyed and missed in-person interactions with staff and with each other. Each event has felt a bit like a reunion - an opportunity to reconnect, share stories and build community after a long time apart. We hosted our first in-person Sustainability Open House since 2019 at Shake and Bake, where residents could take a spin on the rink after checking out information from many partner organizations. Below, read more about how to get involved with the Climate Action Plan currently underway. We also hosted three Open House events so far to support the early stage development of the Our Baltimore Comprehensive Plan. You can read what we've heard at these events via this link and a summary below. A final (virtual) Open House is happening tonight at 6. Please register and attend on Tuesday, June 21 at 6 PM. Chris Ryer, Director

Storytelling Ambassador Training Kicks off for Our Baltimore

On June 9th, we kicked off our storytelling ambassador training for Our Baltimore. Over 100 Baltimore City residents signed up with interest in serving as a Storytelling Ambassador. The training was led by Dr. David Fakunle, a Baltimore native and current resident. 

Dr. David Fakunle has been a professional storyteller for over 25 years and honed his craft under 'Maryland's Official Griot,' the late Mary Carter Smith.

He is the co-founder and CEO of DiscoverME/RecoverME, an organization that utilizes the African oral tradition to encourages the claiming of one’s narrative for personal healing and growth. Additionally, David utilizes storytelling as a public health practitioner and researcher.

Why Ambassadors? The Storytelling Ambassadors builds off earlier success of the Sustainability Plan Ambassadors program. We are seeking to engage residents in deeper conversation around neighborhoods thru this effort. Most importantly, we hope that the Storytelling Ambassadors will amplify the voices of residents that may have gone unheard in years past.

What is the role of an Ambassador? After attending a training in June 2022, ambassadors will bring together their own friends, family and neighbors for a storytelling space in their home or a community space. They will facilitate a conversation about neighborhood life in Baltimore, using storytelling as a facilitation approach that allows anyone to participate and builds community among the guests. After hosting their event, ambassadors will provide a summary of key themes brought up to Department of Planning staff - these themes will be woven into the content of the plan. 

To learn more about this project, please reach out to Elina.bravve@baltimorecity.gov.

Our Baltimore: In-Person Open House Events Wrap Up

This spring, we hosted a series of three Open House events across town: at Cherry Hill Elementary School, Forest Park Senior High School, and at the Hoen & Lithograph Building.

The final open house this Spring will be on Tuesday 6/21, virtually. Register here!

The purpose of the Open House events is to jumpstart the conversation around the Our Baltimore Comprehensive Plan update - get the word out to community leaders about the project, and begin to hone in on priority themes and topic areas. 

Residents were able to review data and maps to set the stage for this planning project. Comments on the data and maps reflected the fact that across various indicators, resources are inequitably distributed, and this planning effort must prioritize strategies to redress this.

Here's just a sample of the vision statements that were developed by attendees:

• "In my Baltimore, all residents have their views considered and implemented in the development of their communities."
• "In my Baltimore, people are willing to put in the work because they feel proud of where we might be heading…. Proud to be real Baltimore!"
• "In my Baltimore, I breathe easier – figuratively and literally."

Residents also were able to weigh in on the potential plan topics that they felt mattered most to Baltimore. Topics that received interest included affordable housing, zoning equity, addressing vacant buildings, neighborhood retail, tree canopy, connecting people to nature, and food access.

Finally, we asked people to tell us the building blocks for equitable development and how to get there. Residents told us to prioritize Black engineers, architects, and developers, and they told us that they wanted to see more programming to ensure that residents are able to weigh in on development proposals. One resident wrote that the City should manage the standards for community involvement; but residents should drive the vision.

You can read what we heard from the first two events in greater depth via this link. We will incorporate notes and input from the third and online event in coming weeks and update this document.

Sustainability Open House Held at Shake and Bake on June 14th

The Annual Sustainability Open House was held at Shake & Bake on June 14th. Residents were able to talk to Sustainability Staff about current projects, including the Climate Action Plan, and the Comprehensive Plan update (Our Baltimore).

What's Next?

Planning Academy Alumni Amber Jones Competes in UB Real Estate Pitch competition on June 23

Amber Jones, an alum of the Planning Academy, is currently participating in UB's Real Estate Fellows Program. 

Fellows are University of Baltimore students or alums who are interested in addressing critical needs within Baltimore City through real estate. Each fellow goes through a 10-week mentoring program with Baltimore-area seasoned professionals.

Students identify a Baltimore City neighborhood, create a project, complete a development plan and prepare an application for financing. The winning proposal will get $10,000 in equity to secure the property for their proposal and the necessary financing up to $1 million in a Guidance Line of Credit from Baltimore Community Lending (BCL) to proceed with the project.

Please join us to support Amber in-person or virtually on Thursday, June 23rd at 5:30pm as she competes for the chance to win $10k in seed capital and $1M in construction financing for development projects. Register Here. 

Planning Academy Featured in American Planning Association Publication

In June, the American Planning Association published a PAS memo entitled, "The Baltimore Planning Academy: Community Empowerment Through Civic Education".  

The report, which primarily reaches others in the urban planning profession, explains the goals, structure, and impacts of the Baltimore Planning Academy, and offers guidance for planners seeking to create similar engagement programming in their communities. Our team is always happy to chat with other planners who are interested in complementary programs - just reach out!

Staff Advance to New Roles

Ava Richardson is now Director of Sustainability at the Office of Planning. Prior, Ava was the Sustainability Manager with our team. A Lerner Fellow, Ava formerly served as a project director at the Baltimore City Health Department, leading efforts to address decades of trauma in west Baltimore. Ava holds a BS in Biology from Frostburg State University, an MPH from Morgan State University and is currently pursuing a DrPH from Johns Hopkins Department of Environmental Health and Engineering.

Taylor LaFave is now the ​Chief of Food Policy and Planning and Food Policy Director. Since joining the team in 2020, he has worked on the City’s COVID-19 Emergency Food Response ​and ARPA proposal "Improving Nutritional Security, Food Access, and Food Equity in Baltimore City During and After COVID-19".  Taylor earned his Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University of Michigan. Taylor enjoys working in the Radnor-Winston community garden, biking to work, exploring Baltimore’s history, and visiting baseball stadiums across the country.

New Staff Join Department of Planning

Marie McSweeney Anderson is the new Northern District Planner as of June 2022.  Coming from Loyola University's York Road Initiative, Marie has 10+ years of experience working with and for neighborhoods in the Govans/York Road area on projects related to building civic capacity, strengthening commercial corridors, enhancing education and youth development, and increasing affordable access to fresh produce.  Marie is a double graduate of Loyola University Maryland with a multidisciplinary liberal arts background in Political Science, Economics, Sociology, and History, which helps to build context for successful community engagement.  Marie comes to the Department of Planning with the lens of asset based community development and a commitment to racial equity.  Marie lives in northern Baltimore City with their spouse, child, and frug (frenchie pug) named Freddie Prince Mercury.

Eli Pousson is the newest INSPIRE Planner, a historian, cargo bike riding family cyclist, city schools parent, and a Harwood neighborhood resident. Prior to joining the Department in June 2022, Eli worked as a planner with the Neighborhood Design Center and completed a Masters of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health where he focused on the health effects of vacant housing and worked with Bikemore and the Department of Transportation on a "play streets" pilot program. Outside of work, Eli is enthusiastically picking up litter and encouraging friends and neighbors to use 311.

Upcoming Commission Meetings.

6/23/22 - UDAAP 

The Urban Design and Architecture Advisory Panel’s role is to provide the Planning Commission and the Department of Planning design review expertise in the areas of urban design, architecture, and landscape design.

The agenda, meeting notes, and presentations for UDAAP meetings are made available here.

6/30/22  - Planning Commission 

If you are unable to participate, you may submit written testimony to eric.tiso@baltimorecity.gov

7/12/22 - Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP)

Since 1964, CHAP has enhanced and promoted the culture and economy of Baltimore through the preservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods. CHAP meets on the second Tuesday of each month. 

Information and an agenda for the meeting will be available here.