Baltimore Community Revitalization & Neighborhood Politics

Baltimore City is experiencing a renaissance in the wake of a nationwide wave of inner-city
neighborhood revitalization. While many Baltimore neighborhoods are benefiting from this
nationwide return to twenty-four-hour downtown living, where residents can live, work, and
play, other neighborhoods have yet to improve. This paper will compare two neighborhoods,
Butchers Hill and Union Square – Hollins Market, to address why some Baltimore
neighborhoods are benefiting from the nationwide renaissance of inner-city living. Butchers Hill
has experienced major improvements in the last decade, while Union Square – Hollins Market
still suffers from looming vacancies and undervalued properties. These districts share many of
the same government incentives and opportunities, but their experience is starkly contrasting.
Union Square continues to face the challenges of litter, vacancy, drug activity, crime, and an
undervalued housing stock. Butchers Hill, a similar neighborhood to the east has ameliorated
similar threats to success, achieving a rise in property values, decreasing vacancy, and stable
homeownership. Many Baltimore neighborhoods such as Butchers Hill boast revitalization
success, but neighborhood politics in Union Square – Hollins Market have prevented it from
achieving similar revitalization success.

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Baltimore Community Revitalization & Neighborhood Politics.pdf