Module 3: Livable Habitat
The “Livable Habitat” module asks how cities can design built environments that are safe, inclusive, and ecologically harmonious while preserving history, culture, and social life.
Sustainable Habitats
Livable habitats integrate human activity with natural and cultural systems in ways that sustain both people and place. In Baltimore, public markets such as Lexington and Cross Street Market reveal how design, commerce, and community intersect within a shared urban ecosystem. These markets provide accessible, walkable spaces for gathering, eating, and trading—essential social infrastructure that sustains the city’s cultural and economic life. Yet, they also reflect sustainability challenges, from waste management and energy use to redevelopment that risks erasing historic character. By examining how these markets blend built environment, heritage, and daily human rhythms, this inquiry has explored how livable habitats are created, maintained, and sometimes disrupted within Baltimore’s urban core.