Baltimore County is a quagmire of communities. The reason the URDL exists was due to a concerted movement to protect the rural areas north of the Beltway, which concentrated development and infrastructure investment south of the line. In doing so, we have also created areas where there is no nutritionally adequate and safe foods available […]
Suburbs, like cities, need many more neighborhoods where residents can meet daily needs on foot; streets that give priority to walkers, cyclists, and light rail and buses over cars; and high-quality public spaces. Retrofitting suburbia, to quote Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, who wrote a book with that title, is “the big project for this […]
At its May meeting, NeighborSpace welcomed three new board members: Carolyn Cecil, a licensed clinical social worker who is active in various conservation projects in and around Idlewylde, where she lives. Carolyn has already volunteered on several spring projects, including efforts to clean up the NeighborSpace Beech Avenue site in Overlea in preparation for […]
In spite of a prediction of thundershowers, a dozen people showed up at the Battle Monument School in Dundalk on May 29 to take a tour of the proposed “Maryland Line Trail” with historian Robert Reyes. Robert has been spearheading the creation of the trail along Bear Creek since at least 2010. The reason: the […]
Tim Chen, the cofounder of the personal finance website, “NerdWallet,” once said that “opportunity is a graph. On one axis, it’s what you do, and on the other axis who you tell.” The point is that if, as you are doing more, you are able to tell more people about it, your prospects will improve. […]
Among the many heartening recommendations contained in County Executive Olszewski’s Transition Report were two having to do with “increasing engagement with nonprofits …” and “establishing a Grants Coordinator in the Executive’s Office to seek resources in coordination with County departments and nonprofit partners ….” They are a recognition that the state of nonprofit activity in […]
You have to ask given our plans to launch a Bocce Ball League on Cinco de Mayo at a NeighborSpace site – DATE & TIME: Sunday May 5, 5 to 8 PM LOCATION: 138 Newburg Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228 FARE: Tacos from Catonsville’s El Patron, Mexican beer, wine & other beverages COST: No charge, but […]
I started out writing this article from the perspective of wanting to share with you a summary of items from the recently-released Baltimore County Government Transition Report (2019) that impact the NeighborSpace mission of improving livability in the inner suburbs. Maybe I would have stuck to that more limited scope had another document, the Report […]
In January, I was elated to receive an email from Shari Wilson, a former Secretary of the Maryland Dept. of the Environment and a former President of the NeighborSpace Board. The email announced the creation of a new website, Nuts for Natives, providing tools to help people buy, plant, and nurture native plants to make […]
“Environmentalist and philanthropist Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin has teamed up with state legislators, interfaith leaders and environmental advocates to spearhead an effort to change Maryland’s constitution.” So reads a January 25, 2019 article in the Baltimore Jewish Times. Rabbi Cardin, who has been a real friend to me and to NeighborSpace, put me on notice […]