A University and Its Community

Urban Transplant Analysis




UMBC policy sciences graduate student George Wagner didn't need to look far for a compelling research project. It was right at his doorstep. As a transplanted suburbanite who moved into Baltimore City two decades ago, Wagner has been part of the upsurge in urban living that has turned several South Baltimore neighborhoods into some of the most desirable places to live in the city.

Wagner's dissertation looked at Federal Hill, Fells Point, and Canton--three Baltimore neighborhoods among a handful that are thriving in a city with an overall declining population. He also surveyed nearly 300 residents in these areas, to flesh out reasons for the demographic changes. Wagner discovered that nearly 60 percent of the residents in his survey were, like him, from the suburbs, or from cities and towns outside the metropolitan area, moving to neighborhoods near Baltimore's Inner Harbor and its attractions.

"I think most striking was that one-third of the respondents work in the suburbs and chose to live in the city," Wagner said in an interview in the Baltimore Sun, which reported on his research. "I like the city lifestyle," he said. "What I found in my survey reflected some of my own feelings."

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