The Baltimore Plan

About

Produced to promote the point of view of the Baltimore Redevelopment Commission, this film offers significant photography of Black communities in urban environments, particularly communities hard-hit by decades of racist housing discrimination. Its wraparound narrative promotes neighborhood improvement sponsored by local government and supported by a housing court that assigns some responsibility for living conditions back to residents.

For more information about the history of institutionalized racism in housing in Baltimore that contributed to the conditions shown in this film, see: https://www.mdhistory.org/baltimores-pursuit-of-fair-housing-a-brief-history/ (accessed 6/25/2026)

An uncritical description published contemporaneously in Educational Film Guide (1954-1958) states: "Documents a plan in which municipal agencies and citizen groups cooperated in a program for housing improvement. Reveals the success of this plan in Baltimore in raising the quality of housing to meet acceptable standards of health and sanitation. Includes scenes of cases in the Baltimore Housing Court."

For more on producer John Barnes, visit http://www.afana.org/barnesbio.htm (accessed: 08-02-2024)

Human-made No record of this work says a model made it. What this means.

Archive

Internet Archive, in Prelinger Archives

Licence or status

The Internet Archive states none for this item.

Rights statement

notice on film states: "Copyright MCMLIII By Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. Copyright and All Rights of Reproduction, Including by Television, Reserved."

Credit

Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, John Barnes

Language

English

Subtitles

English (automatic)

Who can watch

The archive gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from its collection and subjects. How films are placed