On Wednesday, we spilled the beans about why big blue steel heart sculptures were installed along the Inner Harbor waterfront. The steel hearts are part of the “Respect Starts in The Heart” campaign launched by the Inner Harbor Project.
About 100 young people today, the nonprofit has a unique mission:
“To focus on public space because it is the place where different social needs compete, and where we can pioneer effective approaches to harmonious coexistence.” And those competing social needs weren’t getting along so well in our Inner Harbor area.
To craft the best possible etiquette guidelines, The Inner Harbor Project conducted focus groups with business owners, teens, police officers, tourists and locals.
One ongoing source of tension surfaced in the research: peoples concept of respect differed.
The Code of Respect below gives smart suggestions for all of us to consider when difficult social situations arise around the Inner Harbor area. Really anywhere.
The “Respect Starts in the Heart” code of etiquette can be permanently found on three steel hearts located near the Maryland Science Center, the National Aquarium and near the Harborplace Amphitheatre.
