Case Study
🏙️Baltimore Metropolitan Council, Baltimore, Maryland
Client Profile
The Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) is the regional planning organization for the greater Baltimore area, coordinating efforts across transportation, housing, economic development, and environmental sustainability. BMC engages public agencies, elected officials, and community stakeholders to shape inclusive, data-informed policies that reflect the region’s diverse needs.
The Challenge
BMC sought to better understand public perceptions around housing and transportation in the Baltimore metropolitan area to inform future planning and policy decisions. It engaged PRR, Inc. to lead this effort, under the direction and supervision of its Public Affairs Director, Marshall Bell.
The challenge was twofold:
-
Representation: Ensure that feedback reflected the full demographic and geographic diversity of the region.
-
Engagement: Build trust and participation among communities historically underrepresented in planning processes.
BMC needed a strategic partner to design and execute a research initiative that would surface authentic community perspectives while navigating complex logistical and cultural dynamics.
The Solution
As Project Manager at PRR, Inc., Marshall led a multidisciplinary team to deliver a robust, community-centered engagement and research strategy:
-
Focus Group Design: Coordinated a series of demographically representative focus groups across the region, ensuring inclusion of varied racial, socioeconomic, and geographic perspectives.
-
Screener Survey Development: Created a targeted survey instrument to recruit participants aligned with BMC’s equity and representation goals.
-
Public Outreach Strategy: Designed and executed a multi-channel outreach plan.
-
Team Supervision: Oversaw community engagement, facilitation, and research teams to ensure alignment, quality control, and responsiveness throughout the project lifecycle.
Marshall’s leadership emphasized clarity, trust-building, and strategic coordination, ensuring that every touchpoint reflected BMC’s commitment to inclusive planning.
The Results
-
High-Quality Insights: Focus groups yielded rich qualitative data on public attitudes toward housing affordability, transportation access, and regional development priorities.
-
Representative Participation: Recruitment efforts successfully engaged a cross-section of Baltimore-area residents, including voices from underserved and historically marginalized communities.
-
Strategic Impact: Findings are now informing BMC’s long-range planning efforts, helping shape policies that reflect lived experiences and community priorities.
-
Model for Engagement: The project established a replicable framework for future public input initiatives grounded in equity, authenticity, and strategic outreach.
Link to study report: Exploring Public Attitudes in Housing and Transportation - A Regional Qualitative Study
