Baltimore RISE
RISE: Downtown Baltimore Vision Plan
Baltimore, Maryland
“If you can change the street, you can change the world.”
-Janette Sadik-Khan
Unknown Studio, in support of the Mayor’s Office, Maryland Governor’s Office, and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, led public realm planning, research, and visioning for the heart of Baltimore—approximately 8 square miles of our city which encompasses cultural and entertainment districts, stadia, higher education and institutional uses, waterfronts, historic markets, and beloved historic neighborhoods. The plan engaged with and is supported by 30+ institutions including the University of Maryland, Ravens and Orioles organizations, National Aquarium and others.
The largest proportion of any city’s public space is the street. The RISE plan explicitly and intentionally transforms this public good from an individualistic, automobile-dominated space to a thriving, inclusive, and verdant public realm. At its heart, the RISE Plan states the opportunity: Baltimore is the pre-eminent urban opportunity on the eastern seaboard, a metropolis ripe for investment, livability, and connectivity to the world at-large.
This ten-year planning document prioritizes pedestrian safety and beautiful walkability, multimodal and public transit networks, a thriving tree canopy, green space, equitable transit-oriented development, and a cohesive set of urban identities to stitch downtown into a more human-centered place. With empirical research that vibrant public spaces improve wellness, equity, safety, economic vibrancy, and violence reduction, the team prioritized complete streets and sustainable green infrastructure.
In alignment with other plans including the City’s Comprehensive Plan, Baltimore Together Strategic Plan, and the Greater Baltimore Committee’s 10-Year Strategy, Unknown Studio provided leadership and expertise around all aspects of the public realm: transit corridor alignments and adjacencies, robust materiality for streetscapes, pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures, living and green infrastructure (canopy, soil volumes, stormwater management), and amenities, which taken together, comprise the very life of Downtown.
Early phase traffic calming and pedestrian crossings on Pratt Street commenced in Spring 2025.
For more information:
https://www.downtownbaltimorerise.com/
Client: Downtown Partnership of Baltimore
Project timeline: 2023 –
Scope: Vision Plan Services
Project Type: Urban | Waterfront | Streetscape
Size: 8 Square Miles
Partners:
Gensler (Baltimore) – Master Architect and Lead Consultant
STV, Inc. (Baltimore) – Site, Civil, Utilities Engineer
The Traffic Group (Baltimore County) – Traffic, Multimodal Advisory
RK&K (Baltimore) – Traffic, Multimodal Engineering
MCB Real Estate (Baltimore)—Partner Developer
