Where we live matters. It reflects who we are - our culture, our history and our traditions. It reflects our lifestyles, our values and ideals. Our homes and our communities help define who we are, where we've been and where we hope to go.
For seven years, Baltimore County has celebrated, and sought to strengthen, its communities. Through the Office of Community Conservation Baltimore County has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in neighborhood revitalization. These funds have paid for everything from alley repair to school renovations to the purchase of parkland.
The Office of Community Conservation assigns four coordinators to specific regions of the county, where they work hands on with communities. The office also employs experts in architecture, housing and community outreach, and relies on support from the Office of Planning, the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Public Works.
As one of the oldest of the suburban Baltimore counties, Baltimore County has communities from Lansdowne to Dundalk in need of attention. Some, particularly on the east side, have been in serious decline, with crime and blight driving stable families to other counties. Other neighborhoods, though still strong, are showing signs of aging: crumbling sidewalks, shabby public buildings, broken curbs. The County is helping grassroots volunteers revitalize Dundalk.
Building healthy neighborhoods has become one of Baltimore County's most important Smart Growth strategies; the pressure to develop rural areas lessens when people want to live in existing communities.
More Information
You can learn more about ongoing neighborhood projects or learn about the resources available to your community online.
Revised August 8, 2003
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