Metropolis: CannonDesign helps Baltimore reclaim the public pool

Our team helped the City of Baltimore Parks and Recreation design five new neighborhood pools across the city. The pools are all rooted in a "kit of parts" approach and then customized to best serve their specific community.

It's all part of the City of Baltimore's mission to help erase decades of pool segregation and expand equitable access to facilities for all city residents. Ultimately, the goal is to 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.

Baltimore's reinvestment in public pools comes at a time when many American cities are closing them. In fact, data indicates that the 100 most populous American cities have a median 1.8 public pools per 100,000 residents.

The City of Baltimore is proudly moving away from that larger trend. As Mayor Brandon Scott explains, "So many of these pools have not been touched in decades, despite badly needing attention, but we're finally changing that legacy.

(These pools) will be gathering places where members of these neighborhoods can build community, where young Baltimoreans can learn to swim, and where we can continue to invest in our people."