The Fallacy of Demolition-Only Policy: An Examination of the Intersection of Race and Rightsizing in Baltimore, Maryland
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This thesis critiques rightsizing policies in Baltimore, Maryland. It analyzes Project C.O.R.E. and the effect it will have on the neighborhood of Sandtown-Winchester. This thesis argues that rightsizing policies have and will continue to have a negative impact on low-income, predominately African-American neighborhoods in the city by destroying the cultural and built environment and their historic resources. It asserts that rightsizing is a short-sighted public policy. The work argues this claim by first providing a history of the city of Baltimore emphasizing how racialized policies shaped the built environment. It analyzes the urban policies of the late 20th century that were designed to revitalize Sandtown-Winchester. This thesis reviews of rightsizing as urban policy, and ends with recommendations for how the city can manage vacant properties in a more equitable and fair way. The recommendations suggest rightsizing policies be reformed in order to reconsider the effect that they have on disinvested minority populations.