Unity Park

A social hub centered on play for a Baltimore neighborhood

Hinge Collective is working with Bon Secours and the community of West Baltimore to develop a park and community space that will be a new social hub centered around play and providing increasingly crucial opportunities to cool off. The engagement strategy for this project is centered around personal narratives and relationships to ideas of play, family, and public space. In order to capture these narratives and guide the design process, Hinge recruited and paid a cohort of 10 community members to host a walkshop, conduct interviews with friends and neighbors, host events, and participate in design charrettes. This cohort was given the title of Community Design Ambassadors (CDAs) and have stepped up as leaders of the project.

Working closely with the CDAs, Hinge has facilitated two “Park Jam” events that featured free food and music as well as an opportunity for all community members to share their ideas in a low-pressure, informal setting surrounded by friends and neighbors having a good time. It was clear that the CDA group had taken ownership when one of the Ambassadors exclaimed, “Wow! We did this.” Hinge is currently developing construction documents for the community hub and playspace which has an anticipated construction date in the summer/ fall of 2021.

Location: Baltimore, MD

Client: Unity Properties / Bon Secours

Project Team: CityScape, Kibart

Engagement Techniques Used:

• Paid Design Ambassadors

• Block Party Engagement Events

• Walkshop

• Peer Interviews

• Ambassador Design Charrettes

• Steering Committee

• Engagement Report