On Thursday April 12, I attended Columbia professor Kenneth Jackson’s lecture “The Road to Hell: Race, Suburbanization, and the Changing Fortunes of Baltimore.” Although Mr. Jackson is originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and now a New Yorker, he is an avid observer of cities, and has a passion for Baltimore. He also celebrates Jane Jacobs, and her novel “The Death and Life of Great American cities” – which is Loyola’s themed novel of the year – for our Year of the City.

Mr. Jackson began by reminding us of the days when Baltimore had to inner harbor, and was the “sin city” of the East Coast – with strip clubs and bars galore. He then spoke about how all cities follow patterns, have distinctions, and a reason for being here; Baltimore is no different. Baltimore was officially founded in 1729, because of its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay. The city was known for its strong Catholic roots: it had the first bishop and cathedral in the United States. It was also the third largest city in the country up until the Civil War. Jackson also spoke about the competition between the close cities of Baltimore and Philadelphia. This led to the transportation revolution – the “roads to the west” – which resulted in Baltimore taking the lead. The first railroad in the world was the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad, in 1827.

Baltimore is now the sixth or seventh largest city, and it has the second largest port of entry. When Baltimore annexed land [from the suburbs] in the 1920’s, its total proximity accumulated to about eighty square miles. In 1950,,their population peaked at 950,000; it is now down to 650,000. The suburbs, on the other hand, went from having a population of 350,000 in 1950, up to two mullion today.

Other signs of decline within the city of Baltimore are: no office buildings were build from 1920 until the 1970’s, the growth of the African American population, and the de-industrialization. Other factors which resulted in many citizens and businesses moving out – were the riots of the 1960’s, and the overall increase in crime. Also, over the years, Baltimore has become less and less diverse in terms of “fresh” immigrants, especially compared with other major cities. Also – our nation has “decided” that it is better to live in suburbs. Economically, it makes sense – there is more and cheaper land. Transportation is also cheaper, as gas is less expensive these days than years ago; finally the way we build houses is much less expensive than doing so overseas. Mr. Jackson compared our real estate and gasoline prices to those of Japan – which are drastically more expensive than ours. He also made the point that since energy is so much more expensive in counties such as Japan, they tend to use much less than us.

Mr. Jackson proceeded to discuss the role of government. He brought up the Homeowners Loan Organization, and then the Federal homeowners Administration – to help people get better mortgage rates. He also brought up the effects of public housing on the housing market. The result was that the poor were concentrated in the cities, because the suburbs simply didn’t apply for the money for pubic housing. In Europe, on the other hand, public housing is scattered – so there is not one over-impoverished area.
The government did not restrict growth. Finally, Mr. Jackson mentioned the balkanization of our government. In America, there are 15,000 different school districts, while France has one! America is an attractive place to live from a foreigner’s perspective because it is actually possible to own land, get an education and have the American dream.

Many people claim to have moved out of the cities into the suburbs because of the safety conditions and crime rates. Interestingly enough, Mr. Jackson brought up how living in New York City is one of the “safest places in the world;” it is so dense that it is extremely difficult to commit a crime! Eon the other hand, people in suburbs die all too often in car accidents, which are rare in the city. One has a much greater chance of dying in a car accident than of being murdered. Also, the best medical care is noticeably in large, dense cities – where doctors are constantly looking over the shoulders’ of other doctors to make sure they are properly doing their jobs. Many people travel thousands of miles to cities such as Baltimore, which contain quality medical centers – such as Johns Hopkins.

The question is – will cities such as Baltimore continue to decline? Not according to Mr. Kenneth Jackson; he thinks there will be a return to cities. People want to be near each other. There is a continuing decline in racism for an increased appreciation for history. Finally, it is the people who live within the cities who will decide whether a city will flourish or fall. in America.

Throughout this semester I feel that I have become more connected with the city of Baltimore -- through literature in class, required events, and most obviously the bus ride through the city. Looking back I realized how vital this is to the education process, and I am so grateful that this has taken place during my freshman year of college. Being forced to get so involved so early in my career will surely be a valuable tool for the future. I have now realized firsthand the Jesuit principle of connecting what you learn inside and outside the classroom, and how everything relates back to education - from riding a bus into town, attending a lecture, walking within a museum, or reading a poem for literature class.