City of Baltimore Aquatics Ecosystem

Designing equitable pool access across urban neighborhoods with a splash

Client: Baltimore City Recreation and Parks
Location: Maryland, United States
Status: Completed

Learning to swim and access to aquatic facilities are lifesaving, as drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in the U.S. for children ages 1-14.

Robust data, however, shows significant equity gaps in access, rooted in a history of segregated pool policies and longstanding underinvestment in recreation infrastructure in many urban communities. As a result, 45% of Hispanic/Latino children and 64% of African American children have little to no swimming ability. Moreover, more than a third of adults in the U.S. cannot swim the full length of a pool.

The City of Baltimore is working to change this reality by investing in the full renovation of pool facilities across the city, serving more than 576,000 residents. Each facility provides multigenerational aquatic opportunities, and together they ensure that no Baltimore resident is more than a walk away from a pool where they can learn to swim, relax, cool down and exercise.

Beyond engrained equity disparities around public pools, access is becoming even more critical amidst climate change and increasing temperatures globally. These pools across Baltimore can be safe havens for community members during our hottest days.

Our team worked with Baltimore City Recreation and Parks to create a "kit of parts" that included a family pool, lap pool, bathhouse, pump house and safety/security fence that would help define each aquatic space. This kit helps make the projects more affordable, replicable and adaptable over time.

Baltimore Neighborhood Pools Ignite Joy And Opportunity11

Watch this short video about the City of Baltimore Aquatics Ecosystem to learn more.

The Baltimore pools are truly multi-generational, creating recreation opportunities for all people across Baltimore neighborhoods.

These vibrant aquatic spaces are part of the city's vision that all Baltimoreans should have access to quality, safe, free pools.

Beyond the kit of parts, our team engaged the specific communities the pools serve through multiple approaches, including community presentations, feedback sessions and research. These efforts uncovered findings distinct to each site that helped differentiate the spaces for maximum impact:

At Greater Model, engagement efforts uncovered the community had a higher-than-average autistic population. The design team created a responsive solution with more deck space and far more green panels. These design moves not only make the space feel larger but also give more choice and agency (a positive for those with autism).
At Walter P. Carter, the owner did not have the resources for landscape maintenance. However, the community wanted beautiful landscaping, and through the engagement process, the community association decided to take ownership of the gardens on the site.
The City Springs community shared their thoughts and could vote on two distinct concepts for the aquatic space that would serve their community.

Read this Baltimore Banner article about the impact the pools are having

This pool has been a miracle in this neighborhood. Everybody is lit up when they come here.

Richard Brooks Baltimore resident speaking of the Towanda Pool

With the first three pools now open, our team also looks forward to aquatic spaces opening at two more locations over the summers ahead. These projects are all part of Baltimore City Recreation and Parks' larger citywide Rec Rollout investment.