Reimagine Middle Branch Plan

Project Summary

The Reimagine Middle Branch Plan is a transformative initiative aimed at delivering an extraordinary vision, identity, and equitable design for a new park system at the heart of Baltimore’s Middle Branch communities. This community-driven effort seeks to reconnect South Baltimore neighborhoods along 11 miles of the Middle Branch shoreline, an area historically separated from the waterfront by transportation infrastructure and impacted by years of disinvestment and displacement.

At the core of this long-term visioning plan is a commitment to environmental and social justice, resilience, and health. As part of the project team, Toole Design supported the planning and design of greenway development for the Loop Trail system and neighborhood connectivity to the waterfront, as well as analysis and design of intersections and roadway/trail interactions. We also helped to identify a set of priority streets for Complete Streets improvements to enable all modes of traffic to coexist safely.

In February 2023, the Baltimore Planning Commission adopted the Reimagine Middle Branch Plan. It joins a series of Baltimore greenways initiatives to revitalize the surrounding neighborhoods through innovative active transportation options. The project won the 2023 Honor Award in Analysis and Planning from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). In 2024, it was also recognized by the American Planning Association (APA) with the Planning Excellence Award.

Expertise Applied

• Trails and Greenways
• Roadway and Street Design
• Conceptual Design
• Traffic Engineering and Operations