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Using multiple disciplinary perspectives, this First-Year Seminar asks us to think about why Baltimore is the way it is, and how we might understand the potential for change. We begin with some history and geography, looking at the impact of the port and of the Jones Falls on the development of the city and its social geography. Through an examination of redlining and housing policy, we then investigate the question of how both geography and policy decisions have lasting repercussions on opportunities for different groups of people. Core questions include, what determines the trajectory of cities and the people within them? How do natural, political, and social factors interact to explain the outcomes of different urban populations? What are the levers available to both policy-makers and activists to change these outcomes? Key texts include David Harvey's A View from Federal Hill, Antero Pietila's Not in My Neighborhood, and Stefanie DeLuca's Coming of Age in the Other America. The course incorporates field trips to see different geographical features, historical sites, and current neighborhoods firsthand, as well as interactions with community members through community-based learning.