BusinessWeek names downtown Durham to list of "up and coming" neighborhoods

You know the economy's turned south when business magazines abandon their usual towns-rated lists ("Top 20 Homogenous Golf Enclaves," "100 Best Places to Give Your Retirement Savings to Assisted Living Centers," etc.) for a look at arts-oriented, funky, redeveloping enclaves.

And, in fact, what's loosely termed 'Downtown Durham' makes BusinessWeek magazine's list of the top fifteen "Up and Coming Neighborhoods" in the U.S.

Though one must wonder what kind of prize it is when the description of what makes a neighborhood "up and coming" seems to come right out of a twisted version of Stuff White People Like:

Of course, these transitional neighborhoods, such as Castleberry Hill in Atlanta, Wynwood in Miami, and Northeast Capitol Hill in Washington, aren't for everybody. The neighborhoods typically aren't known for their great public schools and are in early stages of gentrification.

"It depends on how tolerant people are of nontraditional lifestyles," Villani said of transitional neighborhoods. "You have to have a capacity to overlook the presence of homeless people, to not be intimidated by street life. You need to have a sense of inner security that's not going to be upset that life will be kind of chaotic at times."

 

Gee, that's a new way to think of people suffering in often structural, endemic poverty: "nontraditional lifestyles." Hey, we could pass a Constitutional amendment banning them, too.

Anyhow, even if there's some cringeworthy parts like this to the article's vibe, it's right about one thing: Durham's core is in the midst of a transformation impacting the surrounding neighborhoods:

The 12-by-14-block area, which was abandoned decades ago by tobacco companies and residents moving to the suburbs, has blossomed during the past decade and is now a vibrant place with outdoor concerts, bars, and about 40 restaurants. Some artists got in early and now own or rent downtown, which is no longer cheap. Developers, however, are setting aside space for artists in new downtown developments. And many artists are finding deals on the outskirts, within a 25-minute walk of downtown.

All quite true. Of course, Trinity Park and to a lesser extent Duke Park are all fairly well transformed. Old North Durham, followed by Burch Ave. and Cleveland-Holloway are following a similar pattern to those neighborhoods preceding them, though at varied stages in their evolution.

And the arrival of Golden Belt heralds the possible similar direction for portions of East Durham.

BW puts Durham in the same category as Jamaica Plain in Boston (heck, I thought that already up, came and made it) and San Francisco's Mission District as being the next Soho, Tribeca or Venice.

Whether that is a great thing or a foreboding thing for Durham very much depends on who you ask, and on your perspective -- and on the city Durham does, or doesn't, want to become.

The comments on the BW article, naturally, are filled on one side with breathless speculators and boosters hawking their own hot creative class areas (Columbus, Ohio, anyone). They're full on the other with long-term residents of these sorts of areas, concerned about the displacement of long-term residents and ruining a perfectly good neighborhood with Starbucks-drinking yuppies.

Neither extreme is particularly attractive, though extremes rarely are. To many, I suspect, the question of whether Durham can find a moderate path to its revitalization, one that preserves its character and flavor while improving the tax base and access to services, is an unspoken theme underlying so much of both the hopes and fears about the central city's rediscovery.

Comments

[Freddie]

Hey,
I was just at my gym this (Total Fitness on 54) morning and was skimming through this magazine that had the top 20 places to retire...Durham, NC was #1. Did not notice if you ever posted that one??

BTW: I like the new look! Hit me by surprise today...

[Freddie]

Hey,
I was just at my gym this (Total Fitness on 54) morning and was skimming through this magazine that had the top 20 places to retire...Durham, NC was #1. Did not notice if you ever posted that one??

BTW: I like the new look! Hit me by surprise today...