WPB President Laurie Schwartz on the Inner Harbor: Past, Present & Potential
Waterfront Partnership President Laurie Schwartz sat down with Enoch Pratt for an interview on their podcast, Free to Bmore. In this interview, Laurie talks about Waterfront Partnership’s role over the past almost 20 years, and the growth, decline, and rejuvenation of the city’s waterfront- especially the Inner Harbor.
Once considered the “crown jewel” of Baltimore and “Baltimore’s Central Park”, the original construction of Harborplace generated a novel sense of pride and ownership in Baltimoreans. That had been lost with the decline of Harborplace and the Inner Harbor, but has begun to return- one bright sign of this being the development of Rash Field Park, which brings residents from neighborhoods all across the entire city to the Inner Harbor to enjoy its play features, green space, and educational opportunities.
Listen to the full episode at the link below for a little bit of waterfront history and context, as well as optimism and plans for the future.
“Tourists want to be where the locals are. If we build it for locals, the tourists will come.”
