Harborplace

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Gensler and MCB Real Estate are reimagining Harborplace as a dynamic mixed-use waterfront destination that celebrates Baltimore through inclusive public experiences.

Location

Baltimore, Maryland

Client

MCB Real Estate

Expertise

Cities & Urban Design Mixed Use & Retail Centers Hospitality Residential Sports

Opportunity

Harborplace presents a rare opportunity to reshape Baltimore’s iconic waterfront, creating a destination that better serves residents, visitors, and communities.

Harborplace occupies one of the most visible and significant sites in Baltimore, yet its retail-focused model no longer reflects how people live, work, and spend time in cities today. The project presents an opportunity to reimagine the Inner Harbor as a more vibrant, mixed-use destination that serves residents and visitors year-round. Balancing economic development with public benefit, the master plan expands access to the waterfront, introduces new housing and employment opportunities, and creates welcoming public spaces that strengthen connections between the harbor, surrounding neighborhoods, and downtown.

Why This Matters

01
Revitalizing a Civic Outcome
Harborplace has long served as Baltimore’s symbolic front door. Its decline threatened the vitality of the Inner Harbor, making reinvestment critical to restoring civic pride and public life.
02
Reconnecting People to Water
The harbor is one of Baltimore’s greatest public assets, yet access and activity had diminished. Expanding waterfront experiences creates new opportunities for recreation, gathering, and connection.
03
Securing Long-Term Resilience
As retail habits evolve, Harborplace needed a more resilient future. A mixed-use destination with housing, workplaces, entertainment, and public space designed for climate risk supports sustained economic and community value.

This project and design activate the waterfront in a way that ensures it is for everyone in our city, our region, and our state. We prioritized listening to the community to hear what they wanted and married it to what would be built.

Solution

The design reorients Harborplace around people, expanding public access and transforming the waterfront into a vibrant mixed-use destination for everyday life, connection, and community.

To unlock Harborplace's potential, the master plan shifts the focus from enclosed retail to an open, people-centered waterfront experience. The design reorganizes the site around an expanded network of parks, promenades, public gathering spaces, and active ground-floor uses that strengthen connections between the city and the harbor. Four new mixed-use buildings introduce housing, workplaces, retail, dining, entertainment, and civic amenities, while a rooftop park, waterfront amphitheater, and enhanced public access create new opportunities for recreation and community life. Together, these interventions transform Harborplace into a vibrant, year-round destination.

From brief to build: how community input, urban design, and public waterfront access shaped a new vision for Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

The design process was grounded in understanding how Baltimoreans wanted to use and experience their waterfront in the future. Through extensive community engagement and collaboration with local stakeholders, the team identified a shared desire for greater public access, more green space, and a destination that felt distinctly Baltimore. These insights informed a master plan that reorganizes Harborplace around parks, promenades, active ground-floor uses, and mixed-use development. The resulting design balances economic viability with civic value, creating a waterfront destination that is more inclusive, connected, and resilient.

Eight-Mile Promenade

The harbor is the heart of an 8-mile park that defines our city. This is the heart of Baltimore, and everyone is welcome.

Impact

Harborplace sets the stage for a more connected, vibrant waterfront where expanded public access, new development, and community life strengthen Baltimore’s future.

By expanding public space, housing, and waterfront experiences, the plan establishes a stronger foundation for economic growth, community connection, and civic pride.

What Changed Because of This

01
Public Access
Five acres of new parks, promenades, and gathering spaces strengthen connections to the harbor and create more inclusive waterfront experiences.
02
Mixed-Use Vitality
Retail, workplaces, entertainment, and housing replace a single-use retail model, creating a more active, resilient, and year-round destination.
03
Civic Identity
The reimagined Harborplace reinforces Baltimore’s relationship with its waterfront, creating a destination that celebrates community, culture, and civic pride.

Harborplace is an opportunity to create a more inclusive waterfront that strengthens Baltimore’s identity and welcomes everyone to the harbor.

Recognition

01

The New York Times

Profiled Harborplace as a pivotal component of Baltimore’s broader revitalization efforts, positioning the waterfront redevelopment as central to downtown transformation.

02

The Baltimore Sun

Examined how the Harborplace redevelopment could help reset the trajectory of downtown Baltimore through improved waterfront access, connectivity, and public space.

03

CBS Baltimore

Reported on the Harborplace redevelopment team and implementation effort, highlighting Gensler’s role in transforming the Inner Harbor’s public realm.

Team

Project Leadership

[FPO] Alan Gombera

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[FPO] Tyler Miller

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FAQ

01

What is Harborplace?

Harborplace is a mixed-use waterfront redevelopment that reimagines Baltimore’s Inner Harbor with new housing, retail, workplaces, parks, and civic amenities.

02

Where is the project located?

The project is located at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, at the intersection of Pratt and Light Streets along the city’s waterfront.

03

Who designed the Harborplace Master Plan?

Gensler is leading the design of the Harborplace master plan in partnership with MCB Real Estate and a multidisciplinary team of local and international collaborators.

04

How does the project benefit Baltimore?

The redevelopment expands public access to the waterfront, creates new public spaces, supports economic growth, and strengthens connections between the harbor and surrounding neighborhoods.

05

What are the key features of the project?

Key features include approximately 900 residential units, five acres of parks and public space, a publicly accessible rooftop park, retail and commercial uses, and a waterfront amphitheater.

06

How does Harborplace reflect changing urban needs?

The plan replaces a traditional retail-focused model with a mixed-use destination that supports living, working, gathering, recreation, dining, and year-round community activity.

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Related Expertise

Cities & Urban Design Mixed Use & Retail Centers Hospitality Residential Sports

Gensler and MCB Real Estate are reimagining Harborplace as a dynamic mixed-use waterfront destination that celebrates Baltimore through inclusive public experiences.

Harborplace presents a rare opportunity to reshape Baltimore’s iconic waterfront, creating a destination that better serves residents, visitors, and communities.

Why This Matters

The design reorients Harborplace around people, expanding public access and transforming the waterfront into a vibrant mixed-use destination for everyday life, connection, and community.

From brief to build: how community input, urban design, and public waterfront access shaped a new vision for Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Harborplace sets the stage for a more connected, vibrant waterfront where expanded public access, new development, and community life strengthen Baltimore’s future.

What Changed Because of This