Brooklyn/Baybrook Community Action Plan

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In connection with a grant awarded to The Conservation Fund on behalf of the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, an APA Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT) assisted the Brooklyn neighborhood in southern Baltimore with an action plan to increase green infrastructure and community resilience.

The study area is an important nexus between Brooklyn/Baybrook, the Middle Branch waterfront, and the rest of Baltimore City. It is a critical community connection point for Baltimore's stated goal of creating a "green necklace" around the Middle Branch, Baltimore's lesser known harbor. Brooklyn and Baybrook residents lack direct access to waterfront resources while also experiencing negative effects of the area’s industrial legacy, including heavy truck traffic and poor air quality. The report focuses on Garrett Park, an underutilized, 7.5-acre park located in the heart of the Brooklyn neighborhood, and the neighborhood's primary roadway corridors.

The report describes the goals and strategies developed by the team for the Brooklyn/Baybrook Community Action Plan. The team’s overall concept for implementing the seven goals and associated strategies throughout the project study area is illustrated and described in detail. The report outlines strategies to create a Brooklyn/Baybrook community hub and provides an illustrative concept plan for Garrett Park. The implementation section recommends priority actions with management roles and potential finding sources.

Project Updates

Meet the Team

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Team Leader

Brandy Brooks, MA, MS

Brandy Brooks is a contract manager for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Program. She is also an adjunct professor for the Department of History and Social Sciences at Bunker Hill Community College. Brooks is a doctoral candidate in the Leadership in Schooling program at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She has published and/or presented workshops on suicide and self-inflicted injuries, domestic and sexual violence, bullying, social media, urban and environmental policy, community development, and political culture in the United States.

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Team Member

Catherine Mercier-Baggett, AICP

Catherine Mercier-Baggett has been involved in urban planning and design for over 10 years. She is currently in charge of long-range planning in the City of Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta, under contract with The Collaborative. Previously she worked for consulting firms as a landscape and urban designer on small downtown master plans, university campuses, mixed-use infill, military housing, and tropical beach resorts. At the Universite de Montreal (Canada), she acquired a Master of Urban Planning degree and bachelor's degrees in Ecology and Environment and in Landscape Architecture. She is now pursuing a Doctorate in Public Administration, with a focus on environmental and sustainable policy. Her research interests include stormwater management strategies and urban biodiversity.

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Team Member

Garlen Capita

Garlen Capita is an urban designer with the Philadelphia-based office of Wallace, Roberts, and Todd (WRT). Capita leads community-driven neighborhood revitalization efforts that promote a balanced approach to planning and sustainable development. She has over 20 years of professional design and planning experience and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University and a Master's in Urban Design from the University of California Berkeley. She is a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects and is board chair of Germantown United Community Development Corporation. Capita has taught courses in urban design at the University of Pennsylvania Department of City and Regional Planning and an Urban Design Studio focused on the Public Realm and Placemaking.

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Team Member

David Rouse, FAICP, ASLA

David Rouse is the managing director of Research and Advisory Services for the American Planning Association in Washington, DC. In this capacity he leads APA's applied research programs, including the Planning Advisory Service and the three National Centers for Planning: Green Communities, Hazards Planning, and Planning and Community Health. Rouse is a certified planner and registered landscape architect with over 30 years of experience in community planning and design. Prior to joining APA in 2013 Rouse was a principal of WRT, a nationally recognized planning, landscape architecture, architecture, and urban design firm.

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Team Member

Neil Weinstein, AICP, PE, RLA

Neil Weinstein is the executive director of the Low Impact Development Center. He co-chairs American Society of Civil Engineers technical committees on Green Highways and LID practices. He has authored several publications and guides on sustainable development and stormwater management. Weinstein's research work has been in the areas of stormwater management, environmental remediation, and sustainable development and construction for national and international research agencies including: The National Academy of Sciences Research Board, The Department of Defense, the Water Environment Research Foundation, the Water Environment Federation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He is currently working on the first urban stormwater Public Private Partnership for Prince George's County, Maryland.

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