RNR Consulting, in partnership with Econsult Corporation, was awarded a contract to assist the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore (DPOB) in quantifying the impact of panhandling on the economic health of Baltimore City, with a particular focus on Downtown Baltimore. While to date there is a wealth of anecdotal evidence indicating the adverse impacts of panhandling on the City's Downtown area, such impacts have not yet been quantifies in any centralized manner. The scope of work for the economic impact of panhandling study included the following:

• Quantify the overall economic impact of panhandling on the City, including convention industry, hotels, retailers, cultural attractions, restaurants, employers, residents, institutions, and property owners;
• Collect and summarize relevant market research from the BACVA, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, DPOB, and any others as it pertains to visitor opinions and experiences with panhandling;
• Collect and summarize quest surveys from hotels in Downtown Baltimore regarding experiences with and opinions of panhandling;
• Determine the number of meetings and conventions lost due to panhandling over the last ten years and the corresponding economic impact of lost business; and
• Interview key stakeholder groups including:
  • Hiring Directors form largest employers in Downtown Baltimore to determine the impact of panhandling on employee attraction and retention.
  • Commercial, retail and residential brokers to determine the impact of panhandling on efforts to attract employers, retailers and residents.
  • Apartment and condominium building property managers to determine the impact of panhandling on attracting and retaining residents.
  • Street-level retailers in Inner Harbor and Downtown areas to determine impact on shopper attraction.
  • Street-level restaurant / bar operators to determine the impact of panhandling on attracting patrons and creating outdoor dining options.

RETURN TO SERVICE AREA: SURVEY DESIGN AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS