Resources

Starting a Green Space in Baltimore

If you want to start a new green space in Baltimore, here are some resources:

• How to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Garden or Pocket Park provides a quick overview of what it takes to start a green space, and a list of organizations and sources of funds and materials.
• Parks & People’s Guide to Greening Neighborhoods is a more detailed guide to all aspects of planning, creating, and maintaining a green space.
• The Community Greening Resource Network (CGRN) provides individuals and gardening groups with lots of information about gardening and a full schedule of workshops and volunteer opportunities. Gardening groups also receive seeds and plants, access to tool banks, and discounts on power tool rentals. Visit the CGRN web page, or call 410-448-5663.
• The Master Gardener program of the University of Maryland Extension helps neighborhood groups plan a greening project, locate the resources to get it done, and learn the principles of sustainable gardening.

Research

A picture’s worth a thousand words – and so is a research finding. Here are links to academic papers that show how or why community-managed open spaces provide a broad range of benefits to their communities:

• An summary of the evidence that green environments are essential for human health, written by a lead researcher in the field.
• An article that shows a substantial increase in property values for the properties close to New York City's community gardens.
• A study in Lowell, Massachusetts, showed that reducing "disorder" such as vacant lots reduces crime. A newspaper write-up is available at Boston.com.
• Finally, here is our attempt to summarize relevant research.

Baltimore City Policy on Preserving Community-Managed Open Spaces

Baltimore Green Space worked with Baltimore City government to develop a City policy that favors the preservation of neighborhoods' urban oases. Click here to learn what this can mean for your community's special open space. Or, for all the details, download the booklet that the City uses to implement this policy. A flow chart provides an overview of the process.

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The Pigtown Horseshoe Pit, protected since 2010.