The Baltimore Green Network (formerly known as the Growing Green Initiative) is a City-led effort to use sustainable, innovative, and cost-effective practices for stabilizing and holding land for redevelopment, and reusing vacant land to green neighborhoods, reduce stormwater runoff, grow food, and create community spaces that mitigate the negative impacts of vacant properties and set the stage for growing Baltimore. In 2018, we released the Baltimore Green Network Plan to guide this work.
The Baltimore Green Network supports a number of other City goals, including:
- Stabilize distressed neighborhoods by greening and maintaining vacant lots so that they are assets and not liabilities
- Strengthen the social fabric of neighborhoods by helping communities and non-profits adopt and green vacant land
- Attract new development by re-using vacant land for permanent, public benefit – such as strategically placed new open space
- Support City MS4 stormwater permit requirements, and support new economic development by providing opportunities to construct cost-efficient stormwater management best-management practices on vacant land
- Increase the City’s tree canopy by planting trees on or near vacant lots
- Create jobs and job training opportunities and increase access to locally grown, healthy foods in Baltimore’s food deserts by creating new farms on vacant land
Resources
The Baltimore Green Network relies on partnerships with a wide range of community groups, agencies, and non-profits. Below are just a few of the many resources available to help members of the public get involved in greening our city:
Framework for Recreating Vacant Lots into the Community’s Vision
This booklet provides examples of how neighborhoods throughout Baltimore recreated vacant lots into community-managed green spaces, including community gardens, passive green spaces, memorial parks and orchards. The book also includes resources that will help your neighborhood implement their vision for their community. To download the document, click here.
Green Pattern Book
Supported by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Baltimore Urban Waters Federal Partnership, the Green Pattern Book is used to guide the greening of vacant land by Baltimore City agencies, NGOs, community-based organizations, and individual residents. The Green Pattern Book can spur creative ideas and help different groups that work with vacant lots understand how they can effectively partner with each other.
Adopt-A-Lot Program and Side Yard Program
The Adopt-A-Lot program is run by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of the Vacants to Value program. The program encourages residents to adopt city-owned vacant lots in their neighborhood to green community space. Green space stewards can also request access to municipal water at a rate of $120/year.
HCD also created the Side Yard Program that allows sale of city-owned vacant lots to adjacent owner occupants for a fixed price of $500 for up to 1500 square feet ($0.33 per additional square foot). Non-owner occupants can purchase adjacent lots for a fixed price of $1,000 for up to 1500 square feet ($0.66 per additional square foot).
Baltimore Green Space
Baltimore Green Space partners with communities to preserve and support community gardens, forest patches, pocket parks, and other green spaces managed by city residents. At the request of community groups, Baltimore Green Space acquires community-managed open spaces and provides support to those who care for them. The Office of Sustainability, along with other staff from the Planning and Housing Departments, helps transfer city-owned lots that meet our criteria to Baltimore Green Space through a process we collaboratively developed.
Baltimore Tree Trust
The Baltimore Tree Trust works to plant, care for, and advocate for Baltimore’s urban forests. Through the Urban Roots Apprenticeship program, a partnership with the Center for Urban Families, they are also training a new generation of tree care experts! Learn more about how to get involved.
BMORE Beautiful
BMORE Beautiful is a City-led, peer to peer beautification program that aims to encourage residents, businesses and organizations to become directly involved in activities and projects that will keep their neighborhoods clean. Originally a project of the Growing Green Initiative, the Care-a-Lot program is now run by BMORE Beautiful. Through Care-a-Lot, communities can receive funds to maintain vacant lots in their neighborhood. Applications to the program are being accepted now through March 8, 2019 at 5pm.
Chesapeake Bay Trust
The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization dedicated to improving the watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Coastal Bays, and Youghiogheny River. Along with other partners, the Baltimore Office of Sustainability helps fund the trust’s Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns grant program, which helps communities develop and implement plans that reduce stormwater runoff, increase the number and amount of green spaces in urban areas, improve the health of local streams and the Chesapeake Bay, and enhance quality of life and community livability. Grant applications are being accepted now through March 7, 2019 at 4pm.
TreeBaltimore
TreeBaltimore is a mayoral initiative led by the Baltimore City of Recreation and Parks in partnership with an array of local non-profit partners. To reach the goal of 40% tree canopy cover by 2030, TreeBaltimore also works with individual homeowners, communities, schools, and businesses. City residents can request larger trees for their local street, park, or school, or attend a free tree giveaway to get smaller trees for private property.
Learn more about the Baltimore Green Network at https://www.baltimoregreennetwork.com.