"the idiosyncrasies and individual character of these neighborhoods contribute to baltimore's rich texture and coarse charm, but they also reinforce baltimore's stratification and contribute to its entrenched problems. neighborhoods are pitted against one another for shares of city resources, close neighbors willfully ignore problems in adjacent communities, and residents are discouraged-through ingrained habits, prejudices, or political pressure-from straying beyond their neighborhood boundaries."
"we hope that other neighborhoods will see this as an impetus for their own neighborhood exchange programs, reaching across the walls to meet with the unknown other that we are taught to avoid, combat, or ignore. this idea should not be limited to community groups–any individual can take steps to expand his or her horizons. the goal is to reach out and meet our neighbors, looking outward as well as inward. we believe that a collection of neighbors and neighborhoods can rally around their commonalities and respond to their collective differences, proving literally greater than the sum of their parts."
