Kseniya Benderskaya

September 6, 2010

Partners: Sarah and Jiaweng

The Durham Tour

I am embarrassed to admit that as a senior at Duke University this tour of Durham was my first significant effort to explore and understand the city. We always hear of Duke as being a “bubble,” and I think it was easy for me to become complacent in its microcosm. I really wish I had been a more engaged member of this community because ofthe city’s unique history, diversity, and economic potential for the future. The sites Sarah, Jiaweng, and I selected showed us that Durham is undergoing many changes, both economic and social. Some places are prospering from renewal initiatives, while others are gradually neglected or are in transition. I am sure that in the next decade the city will embrace the current revitalization and development projects and become a more attractive and comfortable place to live. Of course not all segments of the population will benefit from Durham’s growth, but it will be interesting to see the kind of place it becomes. This tour gave me the opportunity to visit some of the following sites for the first time, and I am fully aware that my first impressions may be deceiving or too simplistic. But I want to understand Durham in all its socio-spatial complexity, and I think that this tour was a perfect start.

NC Central University and its Surroundings

As we drove around the neighborhoods surrounding NCCU, I kept thinking of the striking aesthetic contrast between the university and its immediate environs. The expanding, well-maintained brick-finish of NCCU’s facilities distinguishes it from a significant number of small and decrepit homes in the southern part of the community. I noted that there was some diversity in the condition and size of the houses, even for houses located on the same street/same side of the street. It was my impression that the residential properties north of the university were generally larger, more spread out, and better maintained than the homes found on the opposite side of the institution.Thehilly topography of the area around the Solid Rock Full Gospel Church contributes to the dilapidated appearance of many ranch-style homes on the nearby streets. It makes them appear stacked on top of one another, as if being boarded up was not bad enough already. Some of the socioeconomic indicators characterizing many residences are solid trash on the front lawns of individual properties as well as on the roadside. The electrical posts seem to be of lower height and span the length of the streets. Their wires even appear to “run-into” the homes situated at the street corners. Although I am hardly an expert on cars, I was able to tell that the ones I saw parked next to these homes were typically older models of a variety of common makes. Exposed satellite dishes protruding from the sides of houses and low metal mesh fences are common features of the dwellings in this community.

Despite the physical degradation of its housing stock, this area exhibits clear signs of an interconnected community. Episcopal and Baptist churches and family-operated grocery kiosks/servicescater to this predominantly African American community. A shopping plaza that is .25 miles south of the university is targeted towards the minority residents with businesses like African World of Braids, KFC, Soul Food, and the African and Intercontinental Restaurant.

What interested me most about NCCU’s campus was the construction project we saw around Lawson St. The university is expanding and building new dorms to house more students. Being a Duke student and constantly hearing about UNC Chapel Hill or NC State, I forget that there is another college of Duke’s size contributing to Durham’s student population. I was also shamefully ignorant of the fact that NCCU ranks as the tenth best HBCUs in the nation![1] I think that the school’s recent rise in enrollment and facility expansion to accommodate a larger student body make this site a remarkable opportunity for monitoring future relations between university patrons and its historic African American community.

Junction Road, from Holloway to Geer

We first approached this stretch of the road from Geer to Holloway, so I guess the sequence of our observations is in reverse. Rail road tracks run parallel to the road, and the first thing I heard Sarah say was “God, who would want to live next to train tracks?” However, starting from the intersection of Geer and Junction Rd, we saw a line of single-story, relatively old, ranch-style homes that were by no means derelict. They had spacious back-yards and were spread out from one another. We noticedlarge gaps of unused land in between the properties, and the houses we saw closer to the end of the first half of the road were made of brick and were tastefully embellished. They contrasted sharply with the panel homes closer to Geer. Some of these wealthier residences had brick-finish car shelters for up to 3 cars. However, the most important theme regarding this site is its transition from a primarily industrial (manufacturing) hub to a residential community. We passed a significant number of derelict, for-sale warehouses that surrounded the new Hope Crossing residential project sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. Even before we saw the placard, Sarah said, “Those two-story houses look exactly like the pre-fabricated homes we put together for Habitat for Humanity!” This project, a bit tucked away from the main road, is for low-income families with children. It is already transforming the community’s landscape, with bright, inviting playgrounds visible through the tall trees from the side of the road. This housing development appears to be pioneer of a working, sustainable community offering hope for Durham’s lower income families.

Geer St, from Morris to Cheek

We began our observations of this road stretch from the intersection of Geer St. and Cheek, moving in the direction of the downtown. The first half of this site is home to a few distinct industrial clusters of construction, automotive and heavy-duty equipment firms. The Durham Rock Yard, Duke University Moving and Storage, and Auto parts are among a few representatives of the aforementioned commercial agglomerations. As we progressed along Geer, we noticed small old houses on the sides of the street that were visually unappealing, especially being near the industrial sector. Closer to downtown, the residential stock was even more downgraded, especially the boarded-up, panel/wood-finished homes next to the Nice-N-Easy Food mart and thrift store. This side of the road is in desperate need of revitalization.

Cole Mill Road and Stoneybrook

One of the first buildings we saw off of Cole Mill Road was a modern-style Summit Church, which Jiaweng said belonged to a chain with various locations all over Durham. As we hit the residential part of the road, the houses resembled the typical well-kept middle-class homes with pristine lawns and large square-footages. These properties were well spread out from one another and their sizeable front yards distanced them from the busy road. Though several of the houses were hidden behind the rich foliage of trees, I was surprised that such nice residences could be located right next to the 4-lane, 40mph Cole Mill Road. It was also noteworthy that at 2:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon, we saw none of the residents walking outside or any sign of playgrounds in people’s backyards. However, being located so close to the Croasdaile Golf course must have a huge positive impact on the value of this land.

Stoneybrook Drive, from Cole Mill Road to Carver

The luscious nature and scenery of the golf course’s landscape provide the neighboring Stoneybrook residential community with a smug country club feel. These houses were more like mansions, embellished and designed to outdo one another in wealth and aesthetic. Some front yards had valet parking and some settled for cobblestone moats. Every single residence was architecturally tailored to the whims of individual owners. Although this community is not physically gated, it serves as a sharp visual demarcation between extreme wealth and the rest of Durham’s inhabitants. There is not a single middle-class house along this stretch. No single family needs this much space. These houses are not designed for function, but are made to awe others.

Foster St, from Washington to Chapel Hill Road

We all noticed the economic disparity between the beginning and the end of this road span. Whereas the Accent Hardwood, Scrapbook Exchange and the warehouse seemed deserted and derelict, the Farmer’s Market and YMCA blended in better with the modern high-rises at the end of the road. This central site is particularly interesting because it displays the desire of Durham’s officials to make this central area more inviting for its citizens and visitors. This location is gradually reinvented from its industrial past to a recreational/commercial and pedestrian-friendly zone. The area around the Marriot has spacious sidewalks for pedestrians, and I expect to see this part of Foster St. draw in more visitors and offer more business opportunities for local and national firms in the near future.

S. Miami from East End to Cornwallis

As we drove through this part of the road, I was shocked by the volume of high-tech innovation firms situated in close proximity to one another. A significant number of them are local branches of prestigious national firms such as IBM, GE Aircraft Engines, Intellicom Inc., etc. Their facilities are very spread out and modern. The Triangle Business Park and the UPS center underscore the location’s primary purpose as a business and service center. Even the infrastructure in this area is conducive to efficient transportation- a well-designed 6 lane road should make shipment more convenient. Some other services offered along this stretch include legal and dental practices. There is a very limited residential section towards the end, and one of the houses facing the road has a For Sale sign. It seems that this research-and-development site is at the core of Durham’s economic boom.

Bivins Street (Entirely)

After driving through the entire stretch of Bivins Street, we decided that the best way to characterize this site was to compare it to a residential ghost community. We passed a number of well-built and spacious residences, but their lawns were much too overgrown and neglected. Some had low metal fences around their properties, which is a feature of older neighborhoods. The individual homes were rather spread out, appearing as little islands subdued by the unkemptjungle of bushes, weeds, and towering tree foliage. There were hardly any cars in the driveways or on the sides of the street, and we wondered if anyone even lived there. It was around 3:30 in the afternoon on a sunny Saturday, but we did not see a single soul walking on the street or standing in the front yard. There were no physical/structural indicators of an engaged or even cohesive community. As we progressed along the street, the housing architecture changed, and the homes became smaller and simpler in design. We noticed a plethora of For Sale signs, which indicated to us that the Bivins community was not blossoming. I later learned that we must have observed this street at an odd time because it usually shows a pretty high degree of street life. The other detail that the majority of class missed about this street was a new and architecturally savvy house erected at the end of Bivins street. This addition to the neighborhood’s housing stock may help raise its prestige and property value.

Fayetteville and NC 54 (three blocks in all directions)

I am embarrassed to say that the only direction I was initially familiar with was the one that leads to Southpoint. We started out in that direction out of sheer familiarity. Going south on Fayetteville, we immediately crossed over I-40 and soon saw the gigantic parking lot and Southpoint mall on the right and an upscale retail/dining plaza on the left side of this 4-lane road. PF Chang’s, Nordstrom outlet as well as retail stores and eateries in the mall emphasize a strong presence of famous national chains and their extreme popularity in this location. The parking lots on both sides are packed in the daytime, and from past experience, I know it can be quite time consuming to get out of the lot at points of mass exodus in the evening time. Going north on Fayetteville, we noticed more chain retail-and-service clusters, such as CVS, Walgreens, Sprint, T-mobile and UPS. It was interesting to see that heading farther in this direction brought us to an agglomerate of medical practices (dentist, pediatric care, plastic surgery, Eye Institute of NC) and modern apartment and townhouse complexes tucked away from the road. Heading west on NC 54, we again saw the chain middle-class grocery and dining establishments (Harris Teeter, Ruby Tuesdays), but afterwards the street became residential. There are modern-style townhouse/condo communities that border the forest and undeveloped land. I felt that the east side of NC 54 is thus farthe most residential segment, as it was the only direction with a 2-lane road, a church, andmany typical (quite homogeneous) middle-class neighborhoods branching off NC 54. The 2-story newer houses in those neighborhoods contrast with the older, poorer houses on the sides of NC 54.

The Downtown Loop

The Downtown Loop was readily accessible from the city center and easy to find when following the downtown signs. Going around this loop gave us a chance to get an overall mental picture/impression of the city’s downtown. On this path, we saw many new structural aspects that make the Durham center a more inviting place for pedestrians and visitors. The first things we noted were the presence of high-rise buildings and the fact that we could see the Durham Performing Arts Center as we wound around the loop. This structure has become one of Durham’s most prized arts/entertainment venues, attracting thousands of patrons to the city center. Another important aspect of the upgraded downtown is its focus on injecting life into the streets. We were impressed by the wide sidewalks onMain St. as well as decorative lamp posts and benches that create a welcoming ambiance. Most importantly, we noticed that the little cafés provided spaces for al fresco dining, which makes this area even more appealing to the pedestrians. I was also happy to see that these eateries were not part of national or regional dining chains but seemed to be local businesses. Visitors should find this unique restaurant selection appealing (*I am assuming they are local cafes because I have never heard of their names before). There was ample parking space in this area and we passed a multistory parking garage while going around the loop. We drove by available retail and office space, signifying a large potential for future business expansion of the downtown. The revitalization initiatives of the government and private investors have definitely succeeded in making the city center an attractive place for Durhamites and visitors. Jane Jacobs would be proud. I expect downtown Durham to become an even bigger/more gentrified cultural hub in the near future.

Northgate Mall

Ever since I got to Duke as a freshman, I remembered my older friends telling me that Northgate Mall was dangerous, “unrefined”, and that the long ride to Southpoint would make for a more satisfying shopping experience.Sadly, this is my first excursion into this mall. I found this center to be very car-friendly- it was really simple to enter from I-85. There was absolutely no difficulty in finding a great parking spot, and the lot was not nearly as crowded as Southpoint’s. Northgate turned out to be much larger than I imagined, housing both large department/chain stores (Macy’s, Sears, Guitar Center, Office Depot) and a huge variety of little shops. However, I must note that the selection of retail shops would probably be below par for the average Duke student, both male and female. There was no J. Crew, Express, Banana Republic, or Nordstrom. I kept on walking around the shops, searching for famous retail brands, but the few that I recognized were not particularly popular among people in my age range (18-30 years-old). I would say that a number of shops like Max Rave, Beauty Plus and the Piercing Pagoda Kiosk were targeted more toward minority customers by selling “urban” versus “preppy” clothing. I could see how the general atmosphere and built environment of this mall make it hard to compete with the new and upscale Southpoint complex. The structural design of Northgate is not made for pedestrian shopping or quaint al fresco dining. There are no charming streets outside of this mall that would allow people to stroll, sit on comfortable benches, and listen to live music. It seems that Southpoint has set the bar for what malls should be like, and I think that few national retailers are going to want to locate at Northgate, since Durham’s middle class customers are conditioned to judge establishments by their reputations. Unfortunately Northgate’s reputation is based on public perception of its “unfortunate” location.