Reimagine Middle Branch
South Baltimore, MD
July 2020- July 2022
In collaboration with the City of Baltimore and the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, the Reimagine Middle Branch project represented the next phase in a decades-long community-driven initiative to reconnect South Baltimore to its over eleven miles of shoreline along the Patapsco River. A core component of this project is developing educational and stewardship opportunities that center environmental justice outcomes in and around the Middle Branch waterfront.
Community Design Lab
The Urban Studio was one of several community partners responsible for public engagement for Middle Branch. The Urban Studio’s role was to lead on innovative youth engagement. We designed a custom youth-led initiative called the Community Design Lab, where students learned how the planning process worked and developed their own project ideas, which were included as part of the Reimagine Middle Branch plan. This unique approach to the planning process was more inclusive and addressed historic disinvestments and inequalities across the project area.
The Middle Branch Community Design Lab also provided a unique opportunity to leverage the critical mass of design community leaders, resources, and professional and educational networks to elevate the voices of young people living in South Baltimore in the community planning process.
Key Skills of the Program
In Partnership with
