How Big Businessmen Saved The City

In the early 1950s, Baltimore's "retailers and residents were fleeing to the suburbs, property values were in free fall, and signs of urban decay were everywhere. There was no Charles Center, no Jones Falls Expressway, no Harborplace, no convention center, no Metro subway, no Ravens [football team] and no National Aquarium." In response, a group of Baltimore business leaders formed the Greater Baltimore Committee and devised this series of revitalization efforts over the years. "What emerged was a marriage of public and private interests that became a model for urban revitalization copied nationally and internationally by cities facing crises." Included in the original group was James Rouse, a developer made famous in part for his involvement in Baltimore's rebirth.