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Where is it?

Little Italy, Baltimore, MD

What is it?

Italian-American Enclave & Commercial District Expansion

Who did it?

Unknown - neighborhood formed during the port industrial era

What purpose does it fulfil?

Residential Neighborhood and Commercial District Clash

What rules does it break (if any)?

Similar typology and building relationships

Can it/should it be integrated into the formal framework?

The informal character of the existing neighborhood and their specific cultural amenities along with other cultures should be weaved into the more formal downtown district.

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How can the city accommodate informal initiatives?

The downtown commercial scale is dramatically different from the existing neighborhood; creating a visible barrier between zones. The more local and neighborhood restaurants and cultural anchors could be built into the larger scale or industrial building surrounding this area, creating more transitions and sensitive changes to typology.

Does it belong to any "family" of informalities?

Yes, Little Italy clashed against new downtown construction visually creates an informality of character and land use transitioning. However, Little Italy's character and makeup is not an informality because of it's historic beginnings.