Embedded Files
LARC 450/450S Advanced Landscape Architectural Design
"Creating Pathways to Remediation"
"Creating Pathways to Remediation"
An exercise in design for the Garrett-Potee Brownfield
In collaboration with Action Baybrook
“Long before industry came to dominate the Patapsco River’s Middle Branch, the shoreline of South Baltimore … was pristine.” — Time Passages, Medium
History and Community Pride
History and Community Pride
Brooklyn grew from a quiet shoreline community into a hardworking industrial neighborhood surrounded by factories, rail lines, and the nearby port. Immigrant groups, primarily Polish, built strong community roots here, gathering in places like the Polish Home Hall. Over time the area changed as industries shifted and Reedbird Island became a public park, but Brooklyn’s character still reflects its mix of industrial heritage, community history, and evolving waterfront landscape.
1882 Settlement
1882 Settlement
This plat shows the earliest layout of Brooklyn as it transitioned from farm and marshland into a planned community. Streets, plots, and early infrastructure hint at the beginnings of a shared civic identity.
Ambition and Industry
Ambition and Industry
This article shows the industrial ambitions of Curtis Bay and the surrounding Brooklyn area in the early 20th century. It reflects the hardworking, entrepreneurial spirit of the community’s residents, values that continue to shape local identity today.
The Site
The Site
Now known as Reed Bird Island Park, the site was previously an industrial dumping ground before later serving as a gas station. Today, the area has grown into a densely vegetated area where nature has begun to reclaim the shoreline. It also provides informal shelter for some unhoused community members, who use the wooded space as a place for shelter.
Within the Larger Context
Within the Larger Context
Located south of Baltimore, the site serves as a connection point from the Baybrook community to key points within the city, such as the inner harbor.
Nearby revitalization projects like Middle Branch Park are helping reconnect South Baltimore's neighborhoods as well. These improvements along the coast are part of a larger effort to repair other brownfields and heal past industrial impacts, bringing accessibility and a sense of community back to the waterfronts.
Existing Conditions
Existing Conditions
These pictures were taken during a visit to the site and remain the current condition of the area.
The views surrounding the site show how heavily forested and hidden from view at the edges.
Site Analysis
Site Analysis
In collaboration with classmates, data surrounding the context of the site was gathered and analyzed to help determine suitability for site design.
Brooklyn has limited public gathering spaces, creating a strong opportunity for the site to become a shared community hub. Its location within a flood zone calls for resilient design such as riparian planting, rain gardens, and elevated or water-resistant structures. Because the land has a history of dumping and gas station use, it requires capping and remediation to ensure long-term health and safety. A concrete pad on the site is currently used by unhoused community members who rely on this area for stability, making supportive programming and access to services an important part of the design. With improved food access, community gathering areas, and sustainable ecological interventions, the site has the potential to become a welcoming space that honors Brooklyn’s history while supporting its future.
Addressing the Gaps
Food Security
Food Security
Many Brooklyn residents have limited access to fresh, affordable food, creating a reliance on convenience stores or infrequent farmers markets. Improving food security could involve establishing a permanent farmers market, a community garden, or a neighborhood grocery store that provides healthy options for all residents.
Safety
Safety
Safety is a concern due to limited lighting, underused public spaces, and areas isolated by industrial infrastructure. Addressing this gap can include designing well-lit, active public spaces, creating clear sightlines and pathways, and programming areas for community use to encourage consistent activity and oversight.
Housing
Housing
Some residents, including the unhoused population, lack stable and safe shelter. Solutions include integrating supportive housing, temporary shelters, and resources for residents experiencing housing insecurity, combined with programming that promotes social connection, privacy, and dignity.
Site Design
Site Design
This bird’s-eye view of Little Brooklyn shows how new community spaces, green infrastructure, and gathering areas come together to reconnect residents with the surrounding community and each other.
Masterplan
Masterplan
Little Brooklyn is organized into two distinct but closely connected districts.
Commercial District
Commercial District
The upper district serves as the commercial hub, bringing together storefronts, restaurants, a seasonal farmers market, and the Home Hall Plaza—a public gathering space that celebrates both local history and the community’s cultural diversity. This area links seamlessly to the rest of the site through a pedestrian bridge spanning the stream, where walking trails weave through a restored vegetative buffer zone.
Residential District
Residential District
The lower district forms the residential core, featuring low rise multifamily apartment complexes with shelters integrated throughout to support transitional housing needs. Green spaces within the complexes have community murals and informal gathering spaces while a nearby park with basketball and tennis courts provides recreational opportunities.
Zooming In
Sections
Section AA'
Section BB'
Detail Documents
Plaza Detail
Streetscape Detail
Perpsectives
More Information
Thank You
Thank You
Sources
Brooklyn Rising, Part 1: Pristine Town Emerges on the Shores of the Patapsco River | by Rik Forgo | Time Passages | Local History | Medium, medium.com/time-passages/brooklyn-rising-pristine-town-emerges-on-the-shores-of-the-patapsco-river-bc7a6c9618a2.
Action Baybrook. “Action Baybrook.” Action Baybrook, actionbaybrook.org/
“GIS & Mapping.” Department of Planning, 24 Nov. 2025, planning.baltimorecity.gov/maps-data/GIS.
Page updated
Report abuse