When my spouse and I moved to the Baltimore Area in 2009 and were looking to purchase a house, our priorities were one we could afford in a good school system that had access to our jobs and to other lifestyle amenities. High taxes and the rankings of most public schools ruled out Baltimore City and one of our jobs is in Harford County, so that eliminated anything west of I-83. We ultimately decided on the east side of the County, between 83 to 95, where there’s a variety of housing, high ranking schools, and access to dining, libraries, parks, etc. Finding amenities that are walkable, bikeable, or accessible via public transportation was and continues to be a difficulty, however. Why is this important? What does our work within the more urban areas of Baltimore County tell us about the accessibility of amenities? What can you do to help the County address these issues? It is to an examination of these questions that we now turn.

• Why Does Accessibility Matter?

The simple answer is that accessible amenities, things like parks, libraries, stores, trails, etc., build the foundation for an exceptional  quality of life.  Among these, access to natural areas provides a great bonus, since exposure to nature is linked to improved mental and physical health.

• What Has NeighborSpace Learned about Accessibility in the Communities It Serves?

A few years ago, Barbara Hopkins, Executive Director of NeighborSpace, was conducting a site visit at the  Tollgate-Wyndham Preserve  site in Owings Mills when she came upon a woman walking the trails there. This woman lived in the over-50 condominium complex abutting the property. She shared with Barbara that while she had declining vision, on her daily walks, she was still able to enjoy the cool shade provided by the the old growth stand of Tulip Poplars and the soothing sound of the babbling brook that meanders through the site’s northeastern edge.

I’ve been to this property a few times in the past year. I have to drive from my home to get there, as transit would take hours. I think about where this over-50 complex is situated. It’s surrounded by the preserve on one side, and, on the other, by Owings Mills High School. The feeder road leading up to it from Reisterstown Road has no sidewalks. There are places to eat within a  30-minute walk , but we all know that Reisterstown Road is a busy thoroughfare with 4 lanes of traffic, making it far from pedestrian-friendly. In addition, while transit can be found on Reisterstown Road in the form of a bus, there is nothing to shelter transit patrons from the beating summer sun or inclement weather.  In short, while the woman Barbara encountered is fortunate to have access to the NeighborSpace Tollgate-Wyndam site, most other amenities are inaccessible for her because her declining eyesight means that she can’t drive.

• What Can You Do?

In an earlier  review of the Age-Friendly Baltimore County initiative, we covered just how challenged so many of our communities are when it comes to quality of life, also referred to as “livability,” and we discussed metrics of livability, like the walkability of our neighborhoods. Now you have the chance to influence how these challenges are addressed by participating in a  survey.   The Baltimore County Department of Aging is looking into how to create stronger, more livable communities for all ages across the county. The new initiative to create an “Age-Friendly” Baltimore County needs input from County residents aged 16 and older on how to go about doing that.  All responses are anonymous and  the survey  takes about 10 minutes to complete online.  NeighborSpace is among the organizations that is on the Steering Committee for the initiative and we are particularly interested in the answers to  Question #19 .

I went to the preserve on the last snow day, and I was happy to see that there was use of the trails linking the neighborhood to the schools. I can infer that someone or some kids walked to school on a snowy day and they were able to do so safely, away from vehicular traffic. Admittedly, I’m jealous of these individuals, as they were able to start their day by walking in nature, listening to the crunch of snow beneath their feet, the whisper of the wind dancing across the branches of the leafless trees, and the soft gurgle of water flowing in the nearby stream. As John Muir once said: “ Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to plain and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.”

Help us create better, more accessible communities in Baltimore County. Please fill out the survey as soon as possible, as in right now, as in  CLICK HERE !