Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

example, adjacent to the EBDI area, the expandedJohns Hopkins East Baltimore campus will includefive new buildings. Of these facilities, the largest isa 2.3-acre site for a seven-story, 515,000 squarefoot state-of-the-art cancer center, representing anestimated investment of $97.7 million. In additionto in-patient care, the facility will also offer cancerscreening, education, and community outreach.Johns Hopkins’ rehabilitation and investment in itsown campuses account for an additional $1.2billion. Approximately 30 percent of the fundsraised through theBeyond communityparticipation, the project’seducation and workforcedevelopment componentswill measurably assist bothunemployed and undereducatedadults to buildtechnical skills for the 21 stcentury economy.University’s capitalcampaign—knownas “Knowledge forthe World”—willdirectly benefit theEast Baltimorecampus. For theresidentialcomponent, mixedincomehousingwill blend newconstruction,historicpreservation, and rehabilitation. The plannedhousing balance will have one-third each of marketrate, affordable, and low-income dwellings.This capital-intensive project is viewed as aninvestment and not a cost. Initial public investmenthas now leveraged over $15 million in privateinvestments. Environmentally, all phases ofconstruction in this historic neighborhood willobserve “responsible demolition protocol” thatexceeds state, federal, and city standards for leadbasedpaint removal. This environmentally-friendlyapproach is intended to minimize potential hazardsto the community.ResultsThe major impact that AECF hoped for is now beingrealized. “This project may very well have cityplanners re-thinking how to go about communityredevelopment,” observes AECF’s Spencer. He adds,“We need to think about how to re-establish peoplein place.”The sum of these EBDI and other communityimprovement projects have now contributed toimproved and independent quality of lifeindicators for Baltimore. In October 2004, boththe FBI’s 2004 Preliminary Uniform Crime Reportand the U.S. Census Bureau noted positivedevelopments in Baltimore. According to the FBI’s2004 Preliminary Uniform Crime Report,Baltimore leads thenation’s 25 largestcities in the “This project may very wellreduction of have city planners re-thinkingviolent crime. 30how to go about communityViolent crime andredevelopment. We needtotal crime into think about how to reestablishpeople in place.”Baltimore fell to itslowest levels since1970. Since 1999,— Scot Spencerthe cumulativecrime drop is down40 percent—more than New York, Detroit,Phoenix, Philadelphia, or Indianapolis.Furthermore, for the first time since 1950,Baltimore’s populationis now holding steady. By contrast, in 1996,Baltimore was losing residents at the rate of 1,100per month. By 2003, the monthly population lossdwindled to only 33 residents. As a result of thecity’s successful challenge to previously posted U.S.Census Bureau figures, the now official increaseAn East Baltimore resident admires a new neighborhood mural project.(Source: East Baltimore Development Initiative).of 14,634 residents will translate into $2 millionmore per year in federal funds that the citywill receive. 31When Mayor O’Malley recently shared both of thesedevelopments publicly, his remarks wereunderstandably proud: “Baltimore’s comeback isabout private citizens looking at our city and saying,‘This is where I want to live … this is where I want toinvest my hard earned dollars.’ It’s about privateinvestment and development. It’s about nonprofitscommitted to change. It’s about government being aLIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS/STRONG REGIONSPart III: Section 2: Making All Neighborhoods Stable, Healthy, and Livable as Building Blocks for a Strong Region 72