By merging with their surrounding counties, the cities of Nashville, Indianapolis and Louisville were able to grow local economies and save taxpayer dollars by reducing redundancies, according to a new report by the Abell Foundation.

Research began in 2012 to see if a similar approach could work in Baltimore, which remains an independent city surrounded by Baltimore County and, in a few places near the southern border, Anne Arundel County. The authors of the study think it’s worth exploring again.

“The five-county Baltimore region is ripe for a similar effort to rethink its rigid geographic
boundaries and explore the challenges and opportunities that could come from consolidated government,” Jeff Wachter, Beth Harber and Sarah Manekin conclude. “Our future could depend on it.”

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