I was extremely impressed by not only the vision and work that went into it (right now, the proposed line will displace 5 businesses at most, with a decent chance that nobody-homes or businesses-will be displaced. I thought that this particular zero was a pretty amazing number) but also by the incredible interactive and animated displays, maps, charts, and sketches. The three staff members I spoke to were all extremely knowledgable and answered my 15,000 questions with excellent command of their subject. A really well done presentation. I practically wrote a novel of enthusiastic praise on the comment card.
The only thing that bugged me was the low turnout.
I had to have been the only person under 40 there. There were no children or families despite the cool displays. None of the hardened cyclists I’m used to seeing around Mt. Vernon and other parts of town. Just me and a good number of blue-hairs, bless their hearts. And this was in one of the neighborhoods that stands to be most directly impacted by the presence of the Red Line!
It got me thinking about community participation in Baltimore. There are certainly a good number of concerned and involved people in this town, but I get the feeling that there isn’t the same level of citizen involvement here that there is in other American cities. I think there is a role for technology here, and though I get the sense that it is a well-worn question that people have attempted to answer already, I wonder how we can use technology to encourage community involvement in Baltimore. Some neighborhoods have listserv email groups, others have neighborhood bloggers, etc. Since physical meetings don’t always work since people are busy and there may not be an adequate physical space, this seems like a gap technology could fill well.
I don’t want your eyes and brains to get blurry, so I’ll conclude here. I know it’s a big (and perhaps frequently-asked) question, but if I know anything about the two of you, it’s that your aims aren’t exactly small potatoes!
