Preliminary Explanation of SCAR

The late 1960's and early 1970's created an outgrowth of controversy in cities across America. Some of the controversy surrounded the increase in Federal funding grants for transportation. Cities were essentially given large amounts of funding and an opportunity to be creative. Numerous cities proposed sprawling freeways to ease congestion and promote accessibility to business centers. Baltimore used this funding as an opportunity to create connections between major freeways. The proposals would have connected I-95 to I-70 and I-83 South to I-95. The I-95/I-83 South connection was a major source of contention. This road would have cut through historic areas in southeast Baltimore. Thus, the Southeast Council Against the Road was created to stop the construction of this road.

The Southeast Council Against the Road (SCAR) represented numerous, existing community groups, that had a vested interest in the homes and businesses in the community. SCAR included the Society for the Preservation of Fell's Point as well as smaller church and civic groups. SCAR defended the community by promoting the viability of their neighborhoods and businesses. Their approach demonstrated how a major freeway would destroy a thriving community and a historic landmark. The city of Baltimore battled back by emphasizing the positive economic impacts of the freeway. Both SCAR and the city of Baltimore used a variety of methods to argue their case. Throughout the semester I will examine these methods in detail. The passage of time has allowed me to see the result of SCAR's efforts. Therefore, I will highlight the important aspects of these methods to understand how they succeeded when many other urban groups failed.