GREENING RESERVOIR HILL

The greening projects that have brought so many people to participate in the revitalization of Reservoir Hill are resulting in numerous benefits to the community, some obvious, and some less so. These projects have provided the medium for residents to meet and interact with each other which has fostered stronger bonds of trust and community. Also, new trees, restored open spaces, and colorful landscapes have increased property values, attracted more homeowners and investment into Reservoir Hill, and fostered a happier place to live.

These benefits are all part of the outcomes of RHIC’s greening initiative, and perhaps are the most directly recognizable results. However, the impact of these projects on the environment in and beyond Reservoir Hill is significant.

By living in the city, it’s sometimes easy to forget that we also live an ecosystem. Yet, Reservoir Hill is part of a larger urban ecosystem, and the interactions that occur between the people, the physical infrastructure of the neighborhood, and the natural environment determines the health of Reservoir Hill as a neighborhood and as part of a larger ecosystem.

To a large degree, we are responsible, individually and collectively, for the health of our neighborhood and ecosystem. In fact, we as a community have the ability to completely transform the conditions of our neighborhood and ecosystem.


Understanding Our Urban Environment

To better understand how our involvement can impact our environment, we have to understand how the Baltimore ecosystem functions. Storm water runoff, containing various toxins from the atmosphere and from man-made structures, presents a major problem as it enters our sewers, our watershed, and our bay. As the development of the physical infrastructure progresses and former open spaces are built upon, the amount of impervious surfaces increases, and rainwater has less and less area in which to sink into the soil where pollutants can be filtered. Surface water, carrying trash and pollutants, that collects on streets, alleys and vacant lots, flows into the Chesapeake Bay after traveling through a storm drain system that converges into outfall pipes that release the waste into streams and rivers. 

Cleaner alleys and streets mean fewer rats and other disease-bearing creatures that dwell among us. Cleaner and greener neighborhoods lessen the danger of toxins passing into our water sources. Also, our collective efforts can greatly reduce the amount of our " tax dollars spent on cleaning up and managing waste.

Green infrastructure, including street trees and open green spaces, act as a filter to the toxins that we breathe and that enter our drinking water. Trees help reduce storm water runoff by intercepting rainwater on leaves, branches, and trunks where it evaporates or slowly seeps into ground. Open parks with grass fields serve this purpose as well.

Trees also provide other benefits including the removal of air pollutants such as carbon dioxide. A study estimated that the existing tree canopy cover in Milwaukee reduces storm water flow by up to 22%. If all the trees in Milwaukee were removed, an estimated 357,083 cubic feet of retention capacity valued at approximately $15.4 million dollars would be needed to manage the additional storm water flow. In Austin, trees sequester 5,728 tons of carbon annually with an estimated value of $5.3 million. By doubling the amount of trees in the city, 10,000 tons of carbon could be sequestered annually; a value of about $9.2 million.

So, what does this mean for Reservoir Hill?

RHIC’s newest initiative in this regard, Greening Reservoir Hill, is at the forefront of our programs as a main focus of the revitalization strategy. While the program will certainly help to enhance property values and marketability, and to unite residents, it is also important for the environmental health of the community and the surrounding area. The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) is conducting a research initiative on the city’s environment, and RHIC believes that all community groups must be actively involved with improving our shared ecosystem.

A significant improvement of our environment will only occur through collective resident action and partnerships with private and public groups and adjoining neighborhood associations. Everyone can play a part in this initiative; get a street tree, participate in a neighborhood greening project, and advocate for new development to include green spaces, trees, and a green design.

Some Brief Definitions