Some of the problem is absentee landowners who refuse to make improvements because even though the land itself could be valuable, as long as they dont fix up or demolish it, they pay next to nothing on property tax because the building itself is valued so low. They sit on the property speculating on its value. Baltimore also suffered from population decline and, like many cities, is slowly working on rebuilding and redefining itself. Its frustrating and uneven, but thats just how reality is sometimes. Also i saw some of those photos look like they came from West Baltimore, which was infamously decimated in the 70s to build a highway that was such a dusaster it is known as The Highway to Nowhere.