Is it audacious of us to believe that a single civic action can change Baltimore?
In the 1960’s, construction of The Highway to Nowhere (The Highway, Route 40 East & West) displaced thousands of West Baltimore residents. The Highway is 1.5 miles long—a two minute ride with 3.5 miles of blank, 30-foot walls that block out the communities behind it. Thousands of riders use this highway daily, while the communities on either side of The Highway remain broken and divided.
But we can help this community move past the problems created by construction and turn The Highway into something marvelous. What if each rider who uses The Highway donated two dollars every time it was used? (An idea forwarded by Laurie Bezold of Fusion Partnerships, Inc.) One dollar would go towards the costs of painting murals on the highway and the other toward a local charity of choice. Not only would we would have the largest running mural in North America, but charitable organizations throughout the city would benefit. West Baltimore would become “a community of murals” and a tourist destination, bringing attention and resources into a culturally isolated community.
Denise Johnson, of the Bon Secours of Maryland Foundation, a former community organizer and a partner in turning the spaces along The Highway into cultural reuse said, “The Highway project provides an opportunity to give a different meaning to the past, an opportunity to give credit to the current communities that have dealt with the obstruction for many years, and an opportunity for those pasting through to create a new landscape for all to enjoy. At this time, we all can become engaged in creating ART and Culture.”
The audacious idea here is that we Baltimoreans, collectively, have the capacity to change our city.
Another audacious idea for the city, The Algebra Project, needs to find summer jobs for hundreds of youth. For more information contact Jay Gillen, the Project Director, at jgillen@stadiumschool.com.
During the planning for redevelopment of the Murphy Homes site (now Heritage Crossing) a few years ago, Housing Commissioner Dan Henson raised the idea of filling in the highway trough, or covering it and turning it into a tunnel. If retained as a tunnel, the highway and/or the proposed Red Line could go through the right of way. Once covered or filled in, the strip at street level could be developed with structures that could knit the urban fabric back together. Alternatively, it could become a linear park or Olmstead-style boulevard, as Boston has done with the cover over the “Big Dig” tunnel.
One suggestion was to go to Senator Mikulski for help in getting federal funding for this purpose. As a young social worker, she worked on relocation of the residents displaced by the construction of the highway to nowhere, so she might have a special interest in becoming a champion for such a project. For some reason, the idea was dropped. Time to revisit it?
Better yet – put a roof on it (make it a tunnel), with a nice 1.5 mile long park over it. It could be like the NYC High Line park. I drive it twice a day, and I’d donate $2 a trip for that.
-j
Most view the highway as a deficit, as did I. It was difficult to begin to see the open unused spaces (52 acres) around the highway that has been laying there for over 40 years as an asset. Aside from the city’s T.O.D. projects, the questions needing to be raised are how the unused space can benefit the West Baltimore communities. There remains an opportunity to bring culture and the arts into the discussion that could provide jobs in the arts for youth learning to paint murals and promoting art economic opportunities along the highway. The Great LA Wall provide art jobs in that community for 10 years.
Putting in a toll booth and painting a mural isn’t anywhere near as audacious an idea as is Barbara Samuels’ idea above. I vote for her.
Henry
I love the idea of roofing over this ugly trench and keeping the noisy polluting and dangerous cars away from people. A park with a 1st class bike path and walking paths will go a long way to reuniting the area while giving folks free transportation above while others pay for the privilege of polluting below. Since over 35 percent of residents there don’t own or have access to cars, creating people oriented facilities rather than car-oriented ones will be one way to make lemonade from that lemon of a project.
I have to tell you that one of the original design concepts for the Highway had several covering that supported parks and a community recreational center. The highway is constructed (Or so I was told) to support those kinds of structures. I don’t know where I fall on this issue. The city has plans to level the end of the highway between Pulaski Street and Payson Street to make room for additional parking. Certainly, the greening of West Baltimore is preferred over what exists.However, we have to ask ourselves how does that build cultural capacity where there is none? How does that teach a skill or create avenues to rebuild the westside?
Henry – The idea I’m chasing is not a toll for art, but rather the concept of citizens seeing their power to change something. The “powers-that-be” can fill in a hole, like the highway, if they so desire to. We cannot do that. I’m asking if we can recognize our collectively ability to decide to make a social change in our community, how do we do that? The Highway is a ready target for that kind of empowerment. It’s something that connects most of us. We have some reaction to it, but we seem to be waiting for others to make that change. The idea, here, is for us to decide that we want to change something.. and just do it.
The Red Line idea is terrific.
I have to agree with Ashley. This is about rebuilding the inherent and cultural aspects of the Community, that was devastated when that highway was put in. It is about social justice and putting resources back into the community. Wgat we often hear from people outside the community is ideas about how to make their commute easier or more pleasant. When you talk to the community that lives there, they want redevelopment and beautification that they can enjoy, like many resourced communities west of the highway and that use the highway (Catonsville, Ellicott city, Howard County, etc….) Greening, murals, art, public open spaces can all contribute to healing and reconnecting a community. Which in turn makes it safe and a desireable place to live and work.
So as someone who uses the highway, a $2 contribution is a small sacrifice for those who use the highway (or more if you can) with the goal of not only beautifying the surroundings are you pass through the highway (red line or whatever) but to help rebuild a community.
I would love to make a $25.00 contribution to put ART on the concrete Highway of Neighborhoods. Where would I send the contribution? I can visualize how color and symbols can make a difference. Can you?
As someone who lives in that area with the hope that it will one day be revitalized, I would gladly pay the $2 suggested. I agree that a Red Line would be useful to have access to downtown areas. and the MARC train and I also love the idea of more parks and bike lanes. However, I hate to say it, but slumlords and the folks who do not take care of the dilapidated houses and who trash their own nieghborhoods need to be fined/addressed.
Any suggestions on how to get our ideas heard or how to push for this to be done?
I agree with Natasha.
WB still has a way to go in reference to the delapidated houses. The idea of making the owners accountable for these houses would be a start. This can be done by submitting a request online http://www.baltimorecity.gov. I found, as far as the trash problem the community is slowly getting involved. The community is becoming more recyle conscience which is very good.