Date of Submission
Spring 5-7-2021
Degree Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Zamila Karimi
Secondary Advisor
M Saleh Uddin
Abstract
The city of Baltimore is known for its beautiful harbor, distinct neighborhoods, unique museums and the renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital. Most notably, however, Baltimore is known for its delicious choices of crabs and other types of seafood. It is not Maryland’s capital, but it is Maryland’s biggest city and economic hub. The Inner Harbor, Baltimore biggest tourist attraction, is also one of America’s major import and export stations. However, it wasn’t always like this. After World War II, the city lost so much in population and business it became as financially depressed as it had been during the Great Depression. Baltimore, in 1979, began urban renewal efforts that rank among the most ambitious in the United States. The downtown area has been revitalized, with special attention given to the Inner Harbor. New modern buildings with glass façades and updated materials, like the Maryland Science Center and National Aquarium replaced dilapidated warehouses. Tourists come to Baltimore and witness the great modern and historic architecture in the city, but little know that right outside of Downtown are distressed neighborhoods with broken down and unused homes with many homeless people, crime, infestations, etc. Baltimore has an estimated 20,000 - 40,000 vacant homes along its neighborhood streets (triple the amount in the 1980’s). From 2016 to 2018, Baltimore’s homeless population rose from 2,000 people to an estimated 7,000 people. This shows that while the government officials were revitalizing downtown Baltimore over the last 40 years, the exterior neighborhoods were deteriorating. Being that there are such a large number of vacant homes, how does the homelessness population continue to increase, hindering social and economic development? This thesis will analyze statistics about vacant homes, abandoned homes, homelessness, already-in- place revitalization eff orts, and benefits and to come up with a solution that can help these many homeless fi nd affordable housing. It will also analyze how architecture is used to provide low-income social development. By achieving the goal of the project, it can begin to grow the exterior neighborhoods of Baltimore without depreciating the value of the Downtown area or gentrifying the middle-class areas. The people who live in the run-down neighborhoods are the people that paid for the renewal eff orts of the city over the past half-century, so they should be able to live in a place that doesn’t continue to be forgotten and disrespected.