Baltimore’s central paradox is this: there are 30,000 vacant properties while 42 percent of residents earn $25,000 a year or less and struggle to find decent affordable housing. Outsiders are often struck by the number of vacant houses they see as they pass through Baltimore on a train. Insiders too are also struck by the […]
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Reducing power and water consumption
Monday, June 22, 2009We’re all familiar with the litany of problems associated with our current electricity system. Households struggle to meet higher bills; the State faces the prospect of brownouts by 2011; and Maryland’s heavy reliance on coal-based power contributes to global warming. On top of that, the State may face a shortage of water in the future. […]
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Creating new forms of citizen participation
Monday, June 15, 2009My audacious idea is that we initiate a process to develop more democratic structures for our city. When our country began, there were town meetings where citizens participated and actually made the decisions. Today, in most places the size of Baltimore, voting is the main way we are asked to practice our “citizenship.” After one […]
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Move into the neighborhood
Monday, June 08, 2009What can a ceramics organization and its working artists do to improve the quality of city neighborhoods and the lives of its residents? Baltimore Clayworks has an audacious idea…move into those neighborhoods and be a part of the good and growing things there. Build satellite studios in partnership with community-based organizations, and otherwise simply set […]
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Talking about race
Tuesday, June 02, 2009The inauguration of the first black president of the United States capped off a year of national attention to race. From the contentious South Carolina Primary to then–candidate Obama’s historic race speech at the National Constitution Center in March 2008, the year was filled with moments when were focused on the racial significance of the events […]
