Historians may well mark the decade that just passed as one of the most tumultuous for Baltimore—from a housing market crisis to civil and racial unrest to political scandal to a global pandemic—which culminated in the 7th decade of overall population loss based on the results of the 2020 Census. With 20 years of community-based data, the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance (BNIA) embarked on the “Baltimore Community Change Project 2010-2020” that shows a clear pattern of neighborhoods diverging apart, creating a dual reality of "Two Baltimores" where some neighborhoods are growing and getting all kinds of resources, but others are not. No one can afford — not ethically, psychologically, or financially — this kind of “enduring divergence” (to keep pulling apart) if we want a more just and equitable future for Baltimore.
To learn more, visit https://communitychange-bniajfi.hub.arcgis.com/. The project developed several resources for everyone interested in finding solutions to ending this divergence:
Summary Briefs: BNIA has prepared a series of reports to understand community dynamics with a focus on socio-demographics, housing occupancy and rehabilitation, accessibility, connectivity, and quality of life.
Maps and Data Visualizations: Harnessing ArcGIS Online, Tableau, and Plot.ly, BNIA staff and student assistants created maps, graphs, scatterplots, and other interactive tools to understand the complex changes in Baltimore’s landscape spatially and temporally.
Community Engagement: BNIA convened a series of online and in-person engagement activities around the findings of the Baltimore Community Change Project, including three nights of virtual neighborhood trivia, a series of webinars from experts responding to BNIA’s summary briefs, and resident and stakeholder facilitated conversations around challenges and opportunities in Baltimore’s communities.
Solutions Database: During BNIA’s virtual and in-person facilitated conversation sessions, participants filled out forms indicating their ideas and solutions around addressing challenges and opportunities in their communities. BNIA received over 100 submissions from participants and compiled them into a queriable dashboard along with strategies put forth by the City of Baltimore. The goal of this tool is to enable activists and change-makers to understand the relationships between community wants and needs and City-led plans.
Speakers:
Seema D. Iyer, PhD
Director, Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, University of Baltimore
German Paredes
Developer, Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, University of Baltimore
BNIA (Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance)
Do you only see a submit button? You’ve already planned to attend!