This week on Spotlight On Maryland, we spoke with Barbara Hopkins, Executive Director or NeighborSpace of Baltimore County and Chair of the Baltimore County Green Alliance. NeighborSpace of Baltimore County is an organization that is working to enhance the livability of communities inside the URDL by protecting and improving land for small parks, gardens, trails, and natural areas. In terms of making communities more livable, that can mean improvements to social, economic, and environmental factors such as access to recreational and open space, improving air and water quality, protecting habitats, and even enhancing property values. NeighborSpace of Baltimore County has preserved over 100 acres of land, including Adelaide Bentley Park, Ridgely Manor Park, Powhatan Park, and Bear Creek Heritage Trail.
A sea of hayscented ferns from Volz Neighborhood ParkPayton Schreiber-Pan
URDL is short for Urban-Rural Demarcation Line. In 1967, Baltimore County planners established this line to maximize the efficiency of County Revenues on infrastructure in urban areas and preserving natural resources in rural areas. As time has gone on, we have seen challenges come up as a result of the URDL decision; inside the URDL, there is a chronic shortage of open space. 65% of residences inside the URDL do NOT have adequate access to open space with a five-minute walk, as shown in the map below.
URDL MapNeighborSpace of Baltimore County
One result of this is lower home values. Baltimore County median home values tend to fluctuate between 2nd and 3rd from the bottom, compared to other political jurisdictions in Metropolitan Baltimore. Another unfortunate downside in extremely low walkability. Most communities inside the URDL are car dependent and largely unwalkable, which negatively impacts the public health and the environment. Finally, the storm runoff is the primary cause of pollution of the County's urban water resources, including the Chesapeake Bay.
Failure to set aside land for open space and to protect and buffer stream valleys when the county was developing have resulted in all but one watershed inside the URDL becoming impaired with sediment and/or nutrients.
