Identifying the Key Steps to Building Baltimore's Economy

Baltimore has ridden out the recession better than most metropolitan areas. However, in advance of a study to be released this week, Jennifer S. Vey outlines the ways in which it can better align workers' skills with economic opportunities.

1 minute read

April 24, 2012, 2:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


In advance of a new study, "Building From Strength: Creating Opportunity in Greater Baltimore's Next Economy," to be released this week by the Brookings Institution, Vey, a fellow with the Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, looks at the economic, educational, land use, and transportation investments that must be made to provide better employment opportunities for the area's residents, and support the city's next economy.

"As the report highlights, the Baltimore metro area has an awful lot of good things going for it, including an enviable network of colleges and universities; several world-class hospital systems; close proximity to the nation's capital; and, importantly, sophisticated firms, skilled talent and formidable research capacity."

"These assets should allow us to grow and excel in areas like manufacturing, bioscience, information technology, transportation and logistics, and the "clean" economy - all sectors that, compared to the metro economy as a whole, have a greater share of workers earning a middle-income wage or better without having completed a four-year degree."

Monday, April 23, 2012 in The Baltimore Sun

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight