Lauren KingExploring Durham: An Overview

Econ 345 – Urban EconomicsDuke University

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WASHINGTON ST. FROM WEST CORPORATION TO CLUBWhile on our way to our first destination, the intersection of West

Corporation and Washington Street, we drove over train tracks, which is common around Durham. However, upon a closer glance, I realized that these train tracks had not been used for years (Appendix A1). Trees had long ago broken their way through the dirt between tracks, and the traffic signals had rusted long ago, foreshadowing the dilapidation that we would see throughout parts of Durham. Upon turning onto Washington, we drove past the Durham Athletic Park, which housed the original Durham Bulls stadium, now looking lackluster compared to the newer, grand Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Blackwell despite its upgrade by the city a few years ago. A small sign off to the side of the road informed us that we were entering Old North Duke. Turning right onto Trinity Avenue, I noticed houses that could have been grand back in their day, but now seemed dejected.

The further we drove down Washington Street, the worse it got. The roads had not seen a new coat of asphalt in years, and the houses became less and less well maintained. Though there some fairly new looking cars, including a Volkswagen Jetta and a Toyota Camry, none of them were terribly extravagant. Suddenly, we hit Macon Street, the rock bottom of Washington Street. In the middle of a decent neighborhood was a gravel road with unkempt vines crawling across run down houses. One house in particular had multiple “No Trespassing” signs, complete with a “Caution” sign that had handwritten warnings of a camera, alluding to the street’s history of crime, including two accidental shootings of children in early 20141. Though the road had no outlet, an exit sign hung on the tree at the end of the lot (see Appendix A2), ironically denoting a nonexistent egress out of a dead end road as well as out of the grips of poverty. Driving toward the other side of the street yielded an old, rusting Mustang car boasting an

1 “Durham boy kills little brother in accidental shooting.” WRAL.com. April 28, 2014. Accessed August 28, 2015.

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illegible ad on its doors, and the neighborhood’s residents, mostly Hispanics, warily watching us from their porches as we drove down the street. As we drove closer to the commercial areas of Club, we realized that the quality of the neighborhood was slowly picking up again (although a sign advertised a snake-handling church, which is more common in rural areas--Appendix A3), reinforcing the striking difference between houses that were just a block away from each other.

GUESS FROM SEDGEFIELD TO DUKE HOMESTEAD AND CARVERAs soon as we turned onto Guess, I noticed a very new and expansive

house for veterans on the corner of the road, which was startling to see after scrutinizing the decaying houses on Washington. These were The Denson Apartments for only eleven homeless veterans in Durham, but the waiting list for the building includes over 500 names2, indicating the size of the city’s homeless population. Across the road, a law firm had placed an advertisement in both English and Spanish, implying that there was a significant Hispanic presence in the neighborhood. As we continued towards Duke Homestead and Carter, we even noticed an apartment complex advertising free rent, suggesting that rent was very low in the area. While Guess Road featured small homes and somewhat shabby apartments targeted to low-income families, there was a small portion of the road towards Duke Homestead and Carter that housed Durham Family Medicine. We realized that the area surrounding Durham Family Medicine was very nice, with North Pointe Commons, a gated community, and a law firm (whose sign was strictly in English) just across the road. However, as soon as we passed Durham Family Medicine, the area quickly returned to that which we had seen before. The road had not been repaved for a while, but it had been patched, which reflected the maintenance of the houses. Though they were all smaller, single story homes, they were all well-

2 “Homeless Durham Veterans Soon to Have a New Home.” ABC11.com. February 7, 2014. Accessed August 28, 2015.

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maintained. One house even had a brand new flashy red Mazda parked on the driveway.

BIVINSOn our way to Bivins, we drove through a nicer area of Durham,

which I realized was the area surrounding the Durham School of the Arts and Duke’s East Campus. Two-story, well-maintained houses lined a smooth and minimally damaged road. Notable details include a multitude of campaign signs for Jillian Johnson, the only black person running for city council who also seemed to have the most presence throughout Durham based on number of campaign signs. In contrast with the grand houses, a black woman stood on the side of the road with a “homeless single parent” cardboard sign, symbolizing a reminder of the range that exists within Durham’s socioeconomic classes. When we finally arrived to Bivins via Rosedale, an unpaved road, we noticed that Bivins was almost divided in half, with nice houses on one side and very small houses on the other. However, on the side of Bivins with very small, single story houses, we turned onto Redfern Way, a street filled with brand new, two story houses. As we passed by a house, a white woman stepped out of the house with her three young children to pick up a Land’s End package, which is a moderately expensive brand. Toys were strewn across the lawns of the houses, showing that while a part of Bivins was still encroached in poverty, another side was developing. A Food Lion was located near Bivins, showing that the target demographic is middle to lower classes.ST. THERESA'S

St. Theresa’s was by far the worst neighborhood that we visited throughout our trip throughout Durham, as well as one of the most representative areas of Durham’s vastly contrasting neighborhoods. Many houses were either boarded up or destroyed (Appendix A4), particularly on Chestnut Street, yet Hillside featured inexpensive but nice and new houses. We also passed a playground that was surrounded by barbed wire; it was

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startling to see that children needed to be so heavily protected in their own neighborhood. The Lofts at Southside were also located on the edge of St. Theresa’s. Though this brand new apartment complex is government housing3 and is mainly occupied by black people (as noted by the people directly outside the complex), The Lofts, combined with the new houses on Chestnut and Hillside that were priced at around $300,000 (in contrast to an older house on Hillside that was last appraised at $15,9264), is beginning to reshape the area. We passed through this neighborhood once again when travelling to other sites, and noticed women running through around The Lofts alone, as well as three older white men putting up city council campaign signs for Steve Schewel, the incumbent city council member.

E. PETTIGREW FROM S. ROXBORO TO ELLISWhile driving through E. Pettigrew, it seemed as though nobody ever

stopped on the road; everyone merely passed through it. The road that ran along the railroad tracks featured old, closed businesses and boarded up houses, as well as industrial warehouses such as Fortress Scrap Metals and the Chandler Concrete Company, which featured a “now hiring” sign. Based on the appearance of the rest of the street, it seemed as though Chandler Concrete Company had been “now hiring” potentially due to the departure of its former employees rather than growth of the company and area itself. There was also a Boys & Girls Club featuring a mural of black and Latino children, which was a reflection of the surrounding area’s children and who perhaps needed extra support and mentorship that they did not receive at home. We also drove by a flea market, which featured a sign that proclaimed the market was open on Sunday mornings, though the roofs of the different booths were mismatching and desolate. Very few people were out on the road, and we only saw one black man walking down the road gripping a trash bag as well as a farmer’s market run by a Latino man.3 “‘Lofts at Southside’ close to done.” Newsobserver.com. March 7, 2014. Accessed August 28, 2015.4 “104 Hillside Ave, Durham, NC 27707. Zillow.com. Accessed August 28, 2015.

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ROXBORO, GEER, ELIZABETH, & HOLLOWAYThis neighborhood was a black and Hispanic neighborhood comprised

of nicer, more well maintained houses sandwiched in between older houses, as well as a few boarded up houses. As we drove over the patched road, we noticed that there were many more men on bikes than in any other neighborhood, as well as a man stopped on the sidewalk fixing his bike in front of no particular house. Based on the quality of the neighborhood, this could suggest that biking was the only method of transportation that could be afforded. Mismatching, cheap lawn chairs were strewn across the porches of these houses, and a few men were seated in these chairs doing nothing despite the fact that it was a Wednesday afternoon, which is typically when people are at work. Mount Gilead Baptist Church, as well as a Zion church, was located in this neighborhood. In fact, most churches in black neighborhoods that we noted throughout the Durham overview were Baptist, which is reflective of the fact that the largest portion of religious affiliation among African Americans is Baptist5, though we also spotted AME Zion churches as well as Jehovah’s Witness churches.

JUNCTION FROM HOLLOWAY TO GEERWhile this road was located next to a railroad, much like E. Pettigrew

was, the area around the road was very different. While E. Pettigrew was lined with boarded up businesses, Junction was a residential road, with well-maintained houses and green lawns. Additionally, Brentwood Park Neighborhood was located off of Junction, which was an anomaly because the majority of the locations we had visited had only featured single houses rather than houses grouped together in a community. We noticed a white older woman watering her lawn, which was notable because every other neighborhood we had driven through was made up entirely of black or 5 “The Black Church.” Blackdemographics.com. Accessed August 29, 2015.

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Hispanic populations. Much like E. Pettigrew, Junction seemed to serve as a shortcut between roads; however, unlike E. Pettigrew, Junction was much more lively.

S. MIAMI FROM EAST END TO CORNWALLISS. Miami was very different from any of the other areas we visited

because it seemed to be a major highway. As we progressed from East End to Cornwallis, the area became increasingly developed. Initially, the area starting at East End and continuing onward was nothing but empty land, but it was clear that something was being developed, as there were many Caterpillar construction equipment machines around the area. More Jillian Johnson signs appeared in this area, showing that support for her campaign is widespread across different areas of Durham, despite the contrasting qualities of the neighborhoods. As we drove closer to Cornwallis, we noticed a thrift shop, a pawn shop, a “spiritual psychic,” and work sites before the road gave way to multiple car dealerships, including many that were next to each other. The multitude of car dealerships implied that those businesses’ owners recognized a demand in this area, making it more beneficial for them all to be located close to one another to increase the amount of customers that visited each shop and thus creating a “cluster effect”. Since there are already many businesses in this area, this may attract more businesses to locate to the area, which will in return improve the quality of life around the S. Miami area. These car dealerships may already be here as a result of the large corporations that are located further down S. Miami, including IBM and GE, indicating that S. Miami is becoming increasingly commercialized and developed.

S. ALSTON: RIDDLE TO LAWSON & E. LAWSON FROM ROXBORO TO BRIGGS

S. Alston was a primarily low income, black neighborhood located near St. Theresa’s. Unlike other areas, S. Alston featured a variety of

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churches, including Salome Temple (though it was shut down), Ebenezer Baptist Church, Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and the Episcopal Church. Despite a source reporting that Durham itself is only 41.89% religious6, this area included a wide variety of religious institutions, underscoring the fact that lower classes (i.e. households with incomes of less than $30,000) tend to be more religious than upper classes7. This neighborhood was definitely lower class, as the only supermarkets readily available near S. Alston were a Mini Mart and the Town & Deli Grocery. Interestingly enough, this area also featured Durham’s two other higher education institutions, North Carolina Central University and Durham Tech Community College. However, unlike Duke, NCCU and Durham Tech are both public, and the schools’ populations reflect the racial demographic of the neighborhood that they are located in. In particular, students streamed in and out of NCCU onto the road and around the neighborhood, which is a big contrast from students at Duke, who primarily stay on campus.

MAPLE FROM E. MAIN TO LIBERTY & SPRUCE FROM LIBERTY TO JUNIPERMaple featured a 15 mph speed limit and speed bumps, which were not present on any other street that we drove through in Durham and could be the result of reckless driving in the area. This is the only neighborhood we noticed where there were women, as opposed to men, sitting out on their front porches in lawn chairs. This mainly black neighborhood featured small houses whose prices averaged around $100,000 or below8, and many houses had a patch of dirt outside rather than a lawn. If a house did have a lawn, it was not well maintained, and was usually overgrown with weeds. Many houses displayed no trespassing signs in their windows, suggesting that this

6 “Religion in Durham, North Carolina.” Bestplaces.net. Accessed August 29, 2015.7 “Income Distribution by Religious Group.” Pew Research Center. Accessed August 29, 2015.8 “309 N Maple St, Durham, NC 27703.” Zillow.com. Accessed August 30, 2015.

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neighborhood had experienced crime. The surrounding area included the Holton Career and Resource Center. The presence of a career and resource center implied that the neighborhood’s residents needed assistance in employment. While there was one new house in development, it was a Habitat for Humanity house; other than that, this area’s development was stagnant.

HAYTIThe Hayti neighborhood was an area that had seen better times. We

started out at the Hayti Heritage Center before exploring the surrounding street. Old strip malls and a broken down brick wall lined Fayetteville Road, and two black men were sitting on a shopping cart under a tree. We passed houses with tall columns on their porches, and it seemed as though these houses once used to be grand back when Hayti was a hub for prosperous African-Americans. Even though the neighborhood’s infrastructure seemed like it was decaying, the WD Hill Recreation Center advertised after school care for children, representing an active community.

CONCLUSIONOverall, the city of Durham is amidst a reurbanization, as evidenced

by the continued increase in employment as well as urban sprawl resulting in an increase of over 20% in land area9. However, while some areas of Durham are simply being rebuilt and revitalized, such as S. Miami, it seems that this reurbanization is also causing gentrification in other areas of Durham, such as The Lofts at Southside in St. Thersa’s. Still other areas seem like they have been completely forgotten, such as E. Pettigrew. Indeed, the Durham overview revealed that Durham is a sprawling city, whose different regions are in different stages of reurbanization, and the implications of this change on the whole of Durham will have an effect for years to come.9 McDonald, John F. Postwar Urban America: Demography, Economics, and Social Policies.

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BIBLIOGRAPHYMcDonald, John F. Postwar Urban America: Demography, Economics, and

Social Policies. “104 Hillside Ave, Durham, NC 27707. Zillow.com. Accessed August 28,

2015.“309 N Maple St, Durham, NC 27703.” Zillow.com. Accessed August 30,

2015.“Durham boy kills little brother in accidental shooting.” WRAL.com. April

28, 2014. Accessed August 28, 2015.“Homeless Durham Veterans Soon to Have a New Home.” ABC11.com.

February 7, 2014. Accessed August 28, 2015.“Income Distribution by Religious Group.” Pew Research Center. Accessed

August 29, 2015.“‘Lofts at Southside’ close to done.” Newsobserver.com. March 7, 2014.

Accessed August 28, 2015.“Religion in Durham, North Carolina.” Bestplaces.net. Accessed August 29,

2015.“The Black Church.” Blackdemographics.com. Accessed August 29, 2015.

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APPENDIX A

A1. Overgrown train tracks on West Corporation heading to Washington. Author’s own.

A2. Exit sign on tree on Macon. Author’s own.

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A3. Painted fence bordering Washington. Author’s own.

A4. House located in St. Theresa’s. Author’s own.

Lauren KingExploring Durham: An Overview

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