East Campus Wall gets two access points; creates greater connectivity to Ninth Street

Since the very beginning the relationship between Duke University and Durham has been a complex one, mostly friendly, but sometimes fraught with disagreement and, particularly in the late 80's and early 90's, strained by Durham's rising crime rate. I have often heard long-term residents joke that stone wall ("the Wall") that runs along the perimeter of the East Campus is the physical manifestation of Duke's reluctance to engage with a wider Durham community, and that the University was literally trying to wall itself from the city and regretted not making the wall a bit taller

Photo by Bryan Roth.

This new entrance to East Campus was constructed by the Buchanan Boulevard-Main Street intersection. Duke is adding two entrances for pedestrian traffic. Photo by Bryan Roth.

But this was all in the past. Since early 00's, Duke has emerged as the principal force behind the wholesale reinvention of Durham as a vibrant, diverse, and tolerant place to live and work. And nowhere is this relationship obvious than the widespread popularity of the East Campus Walk,  the 1.5 mile gravel pathway circling the Wall, which has become a magnet for joggers, strollers and walkers. Far from walling itself from the community, Duke's wall and the pathway that runs alongside of it, morphed into a public space.

Until relatively recently, however,  the access to the walkway was constrained by the lack of pedestrian access from Broad and Main streets. The University recently changed that when, taking advantage of the Water Main repair work on Main Street, it added two additional entrances  -- the first changes to the wall in over 30 years -- one at the intersection of Main and Broad Streets, and the other on Main and Buchanan Street. In addition to the existing entrance off Broad and Perry Streets, the West side of the East Campus is far better integrated into the Ninth Street  Shopping District.

While this is indisputably a very positive development, Duke and the City have additional work to do before the East Campus can be said to be truly integrated into its surrounding communities. The most obvious and lacking issue is the lack of sidewalks on the outside of the wall across large portions of Board Street, the entire length of W. Markham Avenue. The need to have such a sidewalk is obvious, as evidenced by a clear walking trail created by students and residents, as they navigate mud, grass, roots, stones and other obstacles.Here is to hoping that it will take Duke less than 30 years to recognize this need and build such a sidewalk.

Read the Duke Today article about the new enterances after the break.

City studies parking situation on Ninth Street; can new parking deck be in the works?

In the last year I have covered many planned construction and development projects around Ninth Street, including the controversial Harris Teeter, the Circle Nine apartments, the renovation of the space formerly occupied by George's Garage, and other miscellaneous projects. 

But while growth -- smart or otherwise -- is on the way, questions have been raised by local businesses and residents alike about the future of Ninth Street Shopping District, particularly in light of the attention the newly revitalized downtown Durham has grabbed in the imagination of the local leaders and the national media.

One such concern, expressed very clearly by several business owners of Ninth Street establishments, as well as  the commenters to this WRAL article about Ninth Street, is the lack of parking. Aside from street parking, shoppers can park at a city-leased lot directly across the street the Regulator Bookshop Shop. There are also some parking lots on Hillsborough Road and on Iredell St. but no clear guide or path to find parking for a person who is not familiar with the area. 

So it was with some interest that I have recently learned that the City Council has recently commissioned a comprehensive parking study for Ninth Street and Downtown, retaining Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to provide professional consultant services on the situation. 

If, as I suspect, the consultants determine that there is a lack of sufficient parking to attract additional shoppers to Ninth Street, the most logical remedy would be to build a well-designed and unobtrusive parking deck somewhere in the strip, perhaps replacing the surface parking lot. If designed and built correctly - this new parking deck can be a boon for business, giving new shoppers an easy and clearly demarcated way to park without subtracting from the overall pedestrian and small-town feel of the area. 

How to revitalize cities without waterfronts

The Atlantic Cities blog has a great article on ways landlocked towns can use existing railroad infrastructure to spur revitalization in much the same way their waterfront cousins  use access to water as a way to bring vitality to a neighborhood. The case in point is the landlocked city of Birmingham, Alabama, with its great network of rail yards and proximity to a large research institution (University of Alabama).

There are clear parallels between Birmingham and Durham, both in terms of the existing railroad infrastructure, the re-purposing of the old manufacturing base and investing in university-city relationship to spur growth. It is a great read.

Why are urban neighborhoods are the future of housing

A pair of interesting articles on Salon and Atlantic Cities examine the long-term demographic shifts that are increasingly favoring smaller, walkable, and urban neighborhoods like ours over the dominant housing style of the the previous half century - the suburban development. The authors point to a great convergence of two large demographic groups - the Baby Boomers (1946-1964) and the Millennials (1981-2000) both of which are increasingly interested in communities that are easily accessible and pedestrian friendly.

While the Baby Boomers are downsizing and seeking smaller houses with less upkeep and closer to community centers, hospitals, restaurants, and parks, the Milleanials are outright rejecting their parents' suburban lifestyles in favor of higher density neighborhoods. This is evidenced by surveys showing that Americans are driving fewer miles and that fewer young drivers are getting drivers' licenses. Even more striking is the fact that  46% of drivers aged 18-24 said they would choose internet access over owning a car.

While it may be premature to celebrate the end of American's love affair with the car -- and surely some of the conclusions are due to the terrible economy and its disproportionate impact on young people -- the long-term trends are unmistakable: the demand for urban, walkable neighborhoods is going to far outstrip the supply for many years to come.

The graph below demonstrates this better than I can the representation of demand for transit-oriented development via-a-vis the supply. 

This data is further confirmed by the 2011 Community Preference Survey by the National Association of Realtor's, which indicated that 58% of all responds indicated a preference for "a neighborhood with a mix of houses and stores and other businesses within an easy walk."

All of this suggests a continued, strong interest in urban real estate but it also raises a question: will the pent-up demand translate into higher real-estate prices or more rentors. After all, the other great story about this recession has been the rise of rental housing nationwide, including the Triangle, which hit the highest occupancy rate of rental properties in a decade.

Although I am personally ambivalent on rent vs. own debate, the folks at Trulia Trends have devised a really neat tool which shows in which metro area it is cheaper to buy a home rather than rent. Not surprisingly, in our region it is still more affordable to buy than it is to rent. 

How to improve the Harris Teeter parking lot

As I have previously covered on this blog, the new Harris Teeter coming to Ninth Street is a reality and although its design may undergo some cosmetic changes, the front-facing parking lot for 200+ cars is almost certainly not going away. So what can be done to improve this space?

Surprisingly a lot. Not all parking lots are created equal and there is much a clever designer can do to ameliorate the impact of a parking lot on the community.

As this post on the Atlantic Cities website makes clear, the city of New York has taken the lead in creating a specific set of requirements designed to make parking lots greener, more visually appealing and pedestrian friendly. These include landscaping the perimeter with mature trees, creating islands of greenery throughout the parking lot, thereby reducing "heat island" effect, adding bicycle parking and numerous other improvements (check out the presentation that summarizes all of the improvements here).

In another interesting article, reprinted below, Tom Vanderbuilt, the author of Traffic, writes in Slate about making parking lots into community spaces and improving their appearance more generally. His thesis is that parking lots are going to be with us for a very long time so instead of bemoaning their continued existence, we need to come up with creative ways to integrate them into the community space. For example, he suggests that on weekends a section of the parking lot be converted into a portable farmers market - an idea that was tried with great success by Arlington, VA at the Columbia Pike Farmers Market.

My hope is that Harris Teeter designers take note of at lease some, if not all, of these suggestions. Surely, perimeter landscaping, smart water filtration, bicycle parking, and islands of greenery are a necessity. Some other, more ambitious ideas, such as adding solar panels on top or using alternative surface materials may belong to the realm of fantasy. In any event, at the very least, the developers should review the EPA's 2008 Parking Lot Resource Guide, which provides a comprehensive overview of best practices. As for our city leaders - they should consider using this report -- as well as NYC regulations -- as a blueprint for parking lot construction in urban areas.

Are big-box stores going away?

Best Buy has recently announced that it is closing 5% of its stores, despite the steadily improving economy and rising purchasing power of Americans across economic spectrum. And the company is not alone in seeing its economic model of box-box suburban stores undermined by the rise of internet commerce coupled -- not incidentally -- with decreasing interest in cars and driving by the millennials.

There seems to be a massive structural change happening to the retail sector, with the death of secondary retailers (Borders, Circuit City, Liniens'n Things) now followed by the shrinkage of the market leaders (think Target, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, etc). Perhaps we are finally moving into the post-mall consumer economy, where people do most of their generic shopping online and rely on small local businesses for unique or one-of-a-kind purchases.

All of this has direct relevance to Ninth Street, of course, as it is currently dominated by exactly the type of unique, character-driven local business that is best position to compete in the post big-box economy. Smart developers should take heed -- the long-term patters of economic development are increasingly turning against the old ways of doing business. Instead of suburban in-fill, successful development of the future is likely to rest on a combination of smaller retail establishments in pedestrian-friendly locales supplemented by internet commerce/delivery behemoths.

Visual Pollution of Overhead Wires

This is a second post in a series that I am writing about the visual impact of overhead wires, the ways we can reduce that impact, and state and city regulations that govern this process. 

In my first post, I looked at the economics of burying overhead wires and the exorbitant price tag such a move would carry. I concluded that despite the cost -- at one point estimated by the NC Utilities Commission to be $42 billion statewide -- a gradual phase-in of underground infrastructure is desirable because it will increase reliability, preserve tree canopy and increase property values.      

In this post, I will look at the proliferation of unsightly overhead wires that has taken place in the past two decades and the visual impact it has on our city appearance.

A significant percentage of these wires are simply passing through the neighborhood, servicing the growing business and commercial interests in the areas around Ninth Street.  These cables are an eyesore, marring the beauty of our historic neighborhood.  They also interfere with the growth and care of existing trees and limit our ability to plant new trees.

Commonly found wires on NC utility poles

 Mess of wires on Iredell Street

You may be surprised to learn that most of these wires have nothing to do with  transporting electricity. Indeed, the wires that hang at the bottom of most utility poles are cable and telephone wires which Duke Power leases to Time Warner and Verizon at the expense of the taxpayers who are subsiding these leases through state-mandated rights-of-way.  As shown on the picture above, the electric utility companies place multiple non-electric wires on their poles.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has specific rules that outline the minimal clearance for various types of wires. Their design guidelines are published below. Based on these rules, you may be surprised to learn that the minimum clearance for "joint users," meaning cable and telephone companies, and the ground is between 18 and 15 feet for most residential streets. The 18/15 foot gap is measured at the lowest point between the two poles - i.e. the point where the wire sags the most. Yet, admittedly unscientific inspection of two streets in the neighborhood -- Englewood and Green streets -- found many places where wires hang as low as 12 feet, creating potentially dangerous conditions while adding to the visual pollution of the street.

So what can we do about this? The first (and obvious) step is to enforce existing rules. Next, the NCDOT, which has jurisdiction over the placement and design of the poles, should consider a gradual phase in of more attractive and less intrusive utility pole designs. To mitigate the cost, perhaps the new rules will apply only to replacement poles. Overtime, this will lead to a much more visually pleasing cityscape. And given that according to the new poll only 41% of Durham residents are satisfied with the city's appearance, this is not an inconsequential concern.

A good place to start is this excellent article about overhead design and how utility poles can be made attractive and even distinctive with a little bit of creativity and effort.

Harris Teeter on Ninth Street - images of the proposed design

The developers behind the proposed Harris Teeter on Ninth Street have had a rough few weeks. First, the neighborhood listservs exploded about the underhanded way in which the proposed development was filed with the City Planning Committee just a week before the new, more pedestrian friendly, city ordinance went into effect. In addition to lack of notice, people were upset about the car-centric suburban design of the store and how it will affect the character of the neighborhood.

Second, the Herald Sun followed up with less than flattering article about the Harris Teeter plan in which all the main stakeholders behind the plan summarily stonewalled the paper refusing to comment on any aspect of the development or design of the new store.

Next, a series of four letters to the editor excoriated Harris Teeter developers for failing to provide even the most basic urban amenities such as sidewalks, implement traffic calming measures, or work with the community on building a store that fits organically into the neighborhood cityscape.

In the meantime, the sign of HT's impending arrival has mysteriously disappeared. So what will the new store look like, assuming HT gets it way?

This is the areal view of the new store.

The front of the store will be overlooking Ninth Street across from a 200+ parking lot

The rear will be facing the existing Station Nine apartment complex, across the street from Erwin Sq.

The right side, which features some fake windows will be facing Hillsborough Road

The left side will overlook yet-to-be built Circle Nine Apartment Complex

New Research: Shopping Local Is Better For Your Health

 
Taking a break from the Harris Teeter firestorm engulfing both Old West Durham and Watts-Hillandale listservs, I wanted to share an interesting article (reprinted below) from Atlantic Cities about how towns with small businesses tend to heave healthier residents. I think it makes for an interesting read and adds additional evidence (not sure we needed more but why not) that small locally-owned businesses are the lifeblood of vibrant cities and communities. Large faceless corporations (hello Harris Teeter) add less value, at least in comparative terms. For obvious examples of this rule, just take a drive 20-35 miles out to visit Alamance County or many other rural communities throughout North Carolina. With local business decimated by corporate chains, once vibrant townships have been hollowed out from the inside, leaving their residents with few options but fast food and franchise restaurants.

For a fascinating read about how America eats -- since this post is about health as well as urban development -- I highly recommend The American Way of Eating, a new book by Tracie McMillan. Slate has published three excerpts from her book here, here, and here.

Is Burying Power Lines in Durham a Pipe Dream?

We all know the drill - a gust of strong wind, an unexpected ice storm or a hurricane blow past our neighborhood and a few hours later the lights go dark. If we are lucky, we get the power back in the few hours, although sometimes the power does not come on until days later. This happens every year and while some neighborhoods are luckier than others, everyone has experienced power outages at some point. But it does not have to be this way! Duke University, for example, rarely if ever experienced a power failure no matter what the weather. This is because the University had the foresight to bury their power lines, thus removing a visual nuisance while at the same time ensuring a degree of protection from inclement weather. So why don't cities like Durham follow suit?

The obvious answer is money. It would be a tremendous immediate capital cost for the likes of Duke Energy to  move their electrical infrastructure underground. But the long-term savings will accrue overtime and inure to the customers rather that the energy company itself. In an interesting interview on NPR,   Ted Kurry, the director of at the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida discusses the possible cost-benefit analysis of such a move. 

In short: his conclusion is that none has undertaken the regions examination of the long-term benefits of burying power lines, mostly because energy company see no particular benefit to such an expensive move in the absence of government incentives. It is a short interview well worth a read.

In addition to inconvenience, the aesthetic effect of power line-manged trees is rarely attractive (see below). The visual impact of city pruning was well covered by Bullcityrising a few years ago, so I won't repeat the arguments therein. It is a worthwhile read.

Are successful cities products of cheap rents?

There was a great blog post on Slate yesterday, titled "Berlin: Land of Cheap Rents" which examines how that city became a major artistic and cultural center despite not being tethered to major industry and finance centers. It asks an intriguing question: do great cities become great because -- at least initially -- the cheap rents and easy availability of space allow for the explosion of creativity and influx of entrepreneurship? While Durham is not -- and will never be -- Berlin, there are a lot of useful parallels between  Berlin's renaissance in the first decade of the 21 century and what is happening in Durham right now (complete with the "gritty image" of both cities). A very intriguing idea that, if true, portends good news for Durham as a whole. The full article is reprinted below.

City follows Duke's lead, installs Bike Sharrows

Courtesy streetswiki.

According to this press release, the City is beginning to follow Duke's lead in installing bike “sharrows”on city streets. Bike sharrow is a type of pavement marking indicating that a bicyclist may use the full lane. (as an interesting aside, the name sharrow was coined by Oliver Gajda, of the City and County of San Francisco Bicycle Program, and is a portmanteau of share and arrow.^[wikipedia]) The first one were installed on Chapel Hill Street between Kent Street and the bridge over N.C. Highway 147. They are planning to expand the program to Lakewood soon. My hope is that Broad Street, which is perfect for bike sharrows and has considerable bike traffic, is high on the city agenda.

View Larger Map


The full press release is after the break.

Ninth Street - the crucible of urban design in Durham

The Durham News has a great article about the challenges -- and the possibilities -- of designing and implementing a clear mixed-use development plan for Ninth Street. Despite weak economy, this area is poised for growth, and the challenge is going to be to ensure that the growth is organic and enhances the unique character of this neighborhood rather than replaces it with a generic vision of corporate America. For a cautionary tail of great urban neighborhoods stripped of all their charm and character, one needs to look no further than Crystal City or Rosslyn neighborhoods in Arlington, VA.

Doing it wrong!

Crystal City, courtesy of ElvertBarnes

Rosslyn, courtesy of Ms. Gemstone's

Doing it right - Del Ray neigborhod in Alexandria

Del Ray, courtesy of Payton Chung

New energy-efficient apartments in Del Ray

Sidewalks, connectivity, and corporate irresponsibility

Courtesy: capl@washjeff.edu

One of the things that makes urban core of Durham special is a fairly mature system of sidewalks and trails that contribute to a pedestrian-friendly environment in and around the Ninth Street Shopping District. The  fact that residents and visitors can easily walk to most places adds to the neighborhood's attractiveness both in terms of development and home values. When compared to suburban neighborhoods on the periphery of Durham or towns such as Greensboro or Fayetteville, the city has done well maintaining and enhancing its sidewalk infrastructure.

But there is one glaring hole in this otherwise encouraging story; namely the sordid tale of corporate indifference exhibited by the railroad company Norfolk Southern.   It owns the right-of-way to many (if not all) railroad crossings around Durham. The best example is located in our neighborhood -- just take a look at the sidewalk running alongside Swift avenue, as it crosses Main and Durham Freeway.