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There has been a lot of ink spilled over how crime is driving population decline in Baltimore. But after digging through census data, I found it's also happening in my neighborhood: a gentrifying one
This is a thread about how land-use can also drive population decline. 1/
This is a thread about how land-use can also drive population decline. 1/
I started down this path because I wanted to understand our neighborhood makeup before we look at how we contribute to the equity problems in our city. @UpperFellsPoint is in the 'White L' of Baltimore, but we have a vibrant Hispanic community of residents and businesses. 2/
But it turns out that we used to have a lot of Hispanic residents. We have seen 76% of our Hispanic neighbors leave since 2010 (1844 -> 452) 3/
Buried in the 'other' line is how the number of 'American Indian and Native Alaskan' population has crashed from 200 to 11. We still have the @BmoreAIC, but it seems to be a shell of its former self as the residents have moved. 4/
That also means that Upper Fell's went from a neighborhood that was 48.37% white in 2010 to 68.97% in 2018. 5/
What does gentrification look like? Its losing that ultra-affordable housing. The census asks people how much they pay for rent. Units for sub $300 disappeared in 2013. Sub $500 basically disappeared in 2015.
This is the rapid creep in housing costs that is displacing. 6/
This is the rapid creep in housing costs that is displacing. 6/
That same trend is not effecting homeowners at the same rate. This is a pretty major equity indicator. 7/
That's also important, because Upper Fell's used to be a majority renter neighborhood, but that has flipped recently. 8/
What is likely causing this? People like me. I am the problem.
In 2010, we had a pretty healthy population of 1272 residents under 18. Now, it's 519. Our 25-29 group went from 553->763.
This, plus our racial trends, says we might be trading Hispanic families for people like me.
In 2010, we had a pretty healthy population of 1272 residents under 18. Now, it's 519. Our 25-29 group went from 553->763.
This, plus our racial trends, says we might be trading Hispanic families for people like me.
This is important, because we are zoned for some great schools. Wolfe Street Academy is one of the best charter schools in Baltimore, and was just renewed for 8 years. 10/ https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-ci-city-charter-success-20200115-mbbelzovfrhkxp7ugjjkp27dta-story.html
We are also zoned for Hamstead Hill, which was one of three Baltimore City schools to be rated at 5 stars by the state. 11/ https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bal-five-star-rated-city-school-hampstead-hill-academy-20181205-photogallery.html
It's also alarming, because Upper Fell's has access to so much transit. We have direct service from the Citylink Navy, Brown, and Gold. We also have the Locallink 63 and 65. The @CharmCityCirc Green is along Broadway, and the Orange is blocks away. 12/
Can you walk a bit? Then you have the Citylink Purple, Orange and Blue. A bunch of commuter buses leave from Hopkins, as Baltimore's only subway. We also have the Hopkins and UM shuttles that come through here. 13/
However, we also have so much parking. We did a parking audit and found that we have space for 1405 vehicles.
Street Parking Spots: 918
Metered Parking Spots: 171
RPP/Handicapped Spots: 15
Private Parking Spots: 301
Total Parking: 1405
14/
Street Parking Spots: 918
Metered Parking Spots: 171
RPP/Handicapped Spots: 15
Private Parking Spots: 301
Total Parking: 1405
14/
If every car has a spot that is (conservatively) 21 feet long and 8 feet wide, then that is 236,040 sq feet. That could be hundreds of housing units, instead of mostly free car storage.
We have great transit, and instead fight over every parking spot. 15/
We have great transit, and instead fight over every parking spot. 15/
I already looked at that stuff though. 16/ https://twitter.com/cylussec/status/1287423597238259721
How is this a land-use discussion? You might have noticed on the owner/rental graph that both lines are going down. We have gone from 4689 housing units in 2010 to 3548 in 2018. Small houses are being combined to larger ones. 17/
The transitional housing on Washington St and Pratt St is being redeveloped into something that will probably cater to Hopkins students. Multifamily units are being renovated for single-family units. 17/
This encompasses many issues, such as how we won't consider a basic minimum income to make sure people can afford housing, or how we want to protect property values for owners. Or wanting to protect views.
And this thread is already too long. 18/
And this thread is already too long. 18/
If you want to dive into more about what your neighborhood looks like, I encourage you to look at census data. There is an absolutely staggering amount of data. Happy to help anyone figure out how to use it.
Whew. 19/19
https://data.census.gov/
Whew. 19/19
https://data.census.gov/
While Perkins is not in the Upper Fell's Point census tracts (201 and 202), it is getting a completely different kind of displacement.
I have been at some of the meetings where they promised residents that they could return. This is disgusting. https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2020/07/28/perkins-homes-site-to-become-luxury-apartments.html
I have been at some of the meetings where they promised residents that they could return. This is disgusting. https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2020/07/28/perkins-homes-site-to-become-luxury-apartments.html
Black people don't make the cut in the new Perkins redevelopment. You know what looks like it will make the cut?
Free car storage. We value cars over people.
Free car storage. We value cars over people.
You are up @Zeke_Cohen.
