MAYOR'S RED LINE SUMMIT
Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Baltimore Convention Center
The Mayor’s Red Line Summit engaged community leaders, businesses, institutions and organizations in a conversation about how we can all make the most of the Red Line Transit Project. As the Red Line moves into its final planning stages, the city has the opportunity to leverage every possible opportunity to make the Red Line work for our communities. This means focusing not just on where the line will run and where stations will be located, but more importantly how the Red Line fits into our communities. The Red Line Project will generate jobs, present economic opportunities and offer housing choices, while preserving our unique urban environment and historic districts.
The Mayor’s Red Line Summit brought Baltimoreans together with local and national experts and community leaders from other cities to discuss ideas and plan for the maximum possible benefit we can achieve with the Red Line. More than 300 people attended from across the Baltimore region. Community leaders, business owners, institutional representatives, environmental activists, transit riders, local government employees, and regular citizens were among those participating.
View presentations from transit leaders around the country:
Workforce Diversity: Lessons from Portland (PDF format)
Transportation Oriented Development: Examples from around the country (PDF format – 9MB)
Reaching out to Communities: the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership (PDF format)
*Summit workshop/breakout sessions covered the following:
Making the Red Line Work for Us: Job and Small/Minority
Business Opportunities in Building a Rail Line*
This workshop focused on how the design and construction of a transit project like the Red Line can bring additional job opportunities to the citizens of Baltimore. The panelists highlighted their experiences in the developing job training programs and local hiring agreements related to construction projects. Additionally, presenters discussed opportunities for small, minority and women-owned businesses to participate in design and construction contracts for the Red Line.
Making Stations Function and Fit in our Community:
Station Planning, Design, and Safety
This session focused on how modern bus and train stations can be designed to fit and complement the surrounding community. The panelists in this area focused on stations that have been built in their community which have sparked community revitalization efforts and the role that community groups played in working with state/city transit agencies to make these stations safe and user friendly. The session also included community improvements the city and state could undertake such as the revitalization of parks, public buildings (such as libraries), and the streetscape of roads and sidewalks. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) was discussed in the context of how new stations, if constructed properly could bring new businesses and patrons into areas that were previously inaccessible.
Transit-Oriented Development, Workforce Housing, and Neighborhood Business Growth
This session focused on the economics of housing projects near transit stations, and how community groups can work with the transit agency to be sure that affordable housing is part of any transit-oriented development, including creating housing choices that allows those who provide essential services in our community – its municipal employees, firefighters, police officers, and teachers – to actually live in that community. Affordable housing in conjunction with TOD will enable Baltimore to have a varied housing that is connected to the transit network. An increased investment in public transit could provide more connections among jobs and housing.
Protecting the Environment
This session focused on the natural environment such as: stream protection/restoration; trail interfaces, improving air quality, etc. The panelists in this session discussed various conservation measures that were taken in the projects that they helped to design and build. The process of environmental stewardship and low-impact construction methods was also discussed. Panelists shared how community groups and environmental activists can engage with City and State agencies to achieve the highest possible standards of environmental conservation through the Red Line Project.
Transit and Historic Preservation
This session focused on how a properly built transit line can preserve historic structures and features of growing cities and improve citizens’ access to them. Panelists in this session shared their knowledge of how historic sites and buildings were preserved in different cities where systems similar to the Red Line have been built. Construction methods that safeguard historic structures was discussed, as well as how a new transit project can support current historic preservation measures. Panelists highlighted how funding from transit projects can be used to further maintain and improve/restore historic structures.
