lizzzyyy100

I ride my 50 year old city bike for errands and meetings on almost a daily basis, in almost any weather and mostly in an area of about 2-3 miles around my office in downtown Baltimore. Turning left here is the easiest from the sidewalk but even that isn't without risk (photo: Philipsen) This is generally an enjoyable thing to do and it gets me to places faster than any other mode. Yet, these trips are also full of challenges and hazards. I figured it would be interesting to compare bike policies and progress with facilities in Baltimore along one of my very typical routes, which I am sorry to say, is devoid of any bike accommodation. A rather short trip but frequent trip is the one to the branch of my bank, thanks to the somewhat archaic American banking system where one still receives paper checks in the mail that require hand deposits. The trip is shorter than a mile, takes no more than 5-7 minutes, but requires negotiating a number of the busier arterials. I decided to describe ...

The suburbs of Washington, D.C. were an excellent petri dish for the graduation of suburban centers into real places. The granddaddy of this process may be Bethesda, followed by Silver Spring. More recently, Tysons Corner, the essence of a non-place, has not only been re-imagined but is in the middle of a reincarnation as a mixed-use center. Then there is Pentagon City, Ballston, and Clarendon (all transit oriented development centers in Arlington County) and, of course, Reston, the new town which is not so much a reinvented suburb, as an urban center conceived from whole cloth. More conversions are in the making, most notably Rockville Pike, which as a suburb had become also a poster child of suburban misery. Towson at the crossroads:Old and new (photo: ArchPlan Inc.) Lately, the Baltimore area is picking up the pace, particularly  Towson , the seat of the Baltimore county government where the court house is located, and which has always been the county's most notable place. Balti...

Many legacy cities are saddled with high rates of vacant buildings or land, crime, a falling tax base, food deserts, huge health disparities, and high unemployment. A solution that promises job creation, healthy, locally-produced food and the recycling of lands lying fallow in the core of cities all at once, therefore, would have obvious appeal. Urban farming makes that promise. Although it started on tiny lots with a few volunteers dabbling in homegrown tomatoes and basil, it has grown into a full blown urban strategy coddled by administrations in cities here and in many other countries.  Sustainability offices and, at times even economic development agencies  actively promote urban agriculture and everything that goes with it. Can it deliver?   A real glass green house at Great Kids Farm, a Baltimore City Farm operated by the Baltimore School system.  The commitment of city government was clearly on display when  Holly Freishtat , Baltimore City Food Policy Di...