Building Equitable Communities in Baltimore: Fall 2025 Urban Design Studio

A Fall 2025 graduate-level urban design studio challenged students to devise new development proposals for two vacant sites in Baltimore, Md., with a focus on delivering amenity-rich assets and a sense of place for surrounding communities. Situated in Bolton Hill/Madison Park and Cherry Hill—two neighborhoods with long histories of redlining and disinvestment—the sites offered opportunities for the students to bring human-centered, walkable development that supports existing residents and amplifies the rich architectural history of the city. 

Supported with a grant from the Division of Neighborhood Revitalization of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the studio course was led by Matthew Bell, FAIA CNU, and introduced students to master planning concepts focused on contextual urban design and new urbanism. In addition to researching the histories and existing conditions of each site, students gained insight and perspective on the challenges and opportunities from longtime community residents, such as the need for more diverse housing stock and the value of existing cultural assets and public art. 

Student teams developed three proposals for Bolton Hill/Madison Park and four proposals for Cherry Hill, each bringing walkable, mixed-use strategies with diverse housing types, public spaces, and neighborhood amenities (from schools and community centers to day care facilities and markets) to the vacant sites. One of the proposals—Madison Crescent, designed by McKenna Benson, Lauren McNamara M.Arch ‘26 and Shannon Sinnicki M.Arch ‘26—was honored with a 2026 Congress of the New Urbanism (CNU) Charter Award.

The teams presented their proposals to Secretary of Housing and Community Development Jacob Day ‘04 and Carol Gilbert M. Arch ‘92, Director of Neighborhood Revitalization for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, in the spring of 2026; the student work will be used to illustrate the potential of each site and to kickstart ideas for future development.