Black Baltimore: A New Theory of Community Book

Harold McDougall's Black Baltimore is a well-written and thought-provoking study. The author, a law professor at Catholic University, offers innovative strategies for community renewal in four Baltimore neighborhoods: Upton, Park Heights, Harlem Park, and Sandtown. In a time when the norm has too often been for "experts" to come in from the outside and tell the residents of challenged urban communities what should be done in the cause of revitalization, Harold McDougall sets forth the idea of "base communities," small groups of local residents who bring to neighborhood issues their first-hand understanding of their neighborhood's problems and potential. McDougall's penetrating look at African American life in modern Baltimore is complemented by a thorough and thoughtful look at the city's African American history, with particular emphasis on Old West Baltimore. Considerable time has passed since this book's original publication in 1993; it might be interesting to hear more about what has changed or remained the same since the book's initial publication. Still, Black Baltimore remains an excellent presentation of truly new ideas for real urban renewal.