Diana
“My daughter has ventured out on the boats, while I've explored the trails for walking and biking. These amenities not only provide avenues for recreation but also serve as gateways to deeper connections with nature and with one another.”
Tim
“For a reimagined Middle Branch, my core tenant would be 'accessibility.' Ensuring that residents on both the south and north shores of the Middle Branch have safe access to all that both shores offer.”
Keisha
“Nature is resilient yet fragile and it’s everyone’s responsibility to be good stewards of the earth.”
Dawod
“One of my strongest memories of the waterfront here on the Middle Branch is the amount of trash that had to be hauled when we first started cleaning the park.”
Rona
“…we cannot give up on our waterways any more than we can give up on our neighborhoods. They deserve a fighting chance.”
Donzell
“When I reimagine the Middle Branch area, I envision happy and prosperous communities that are gathering in peace and power.”
Henry
“My best memory is just the kids. I mean the look on their faces, some of them have never even been to the water to see it up close, and it’s sad. Your inner-city kids don’t see that, you know, never touched the water. So, my best memory is working with the younger kids more than anything.”
Michael
“How people make a way out of no way and our resilience and relationship to what’s given to us is just outstanding. What the community has given to me is a sense of resiliency, of love for one another, and it keeps me humble.”
Jen
“With green space in general, you feel connected no matter what's going on in your life, and you can go out and feel protected there. That is so important and so many city kids don't get to do that.”
John
“The Middle Branch should be available to everyone, including people with disabilities—including blind people. We’re going to be very proud about the diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice that the Middle Branch development is going to bring.”
Mandy
“Community is an avenue for healing, and I wanted to provide a safe haven for women to not feel judged and feel like they had a space in the world and in our city.”
Kevin
“If I could change something about my area, I would want to renovate the buildings and create a park. There’s a whole large area of land that’s grassy and it feels like it’s being wasted when it could be a park where people could hang out, walk their dogs and stuff like that."
April
“I’ve been in Baltimore for almost 8 years now and I’ve definitely fallen in love with the city and its charm. What drove me to go back to school for city and regional planning was actually Baltimore. I began to think about questions like how can we address issues within Baltimore like access?”
Jaiden
“If there was something I would change about the Middle Branch waterfront, it would be to have better maintenance and upgrades to some of the amenities on the pier.
Andrew
“What we design and what we make must be for people. The Middle Branch has an emotional connection and I think is a reminder of personality within people and communities and how they use it.”
Courtney
“The Middle Branch has a peaceful and beautiful presence and, in the future, I would love to see it as something that's much more integrated into the community.”
Joseph
“I think it’s important for there to be educational programs around boating and things like water safety since many people don’t have those skills and would want to learn.”
Alice
“I love fishing and crabbing and I’ve been coming out here for years.”
Trayvon
“I have young cousins that need an environment they can grow up in that is positive.”
Molly
“I love everyone’s willingness to help each other out in this community. People really take the opportunity to lift each other up. With that said, rowing should be more available for anyone who wants to do it.”