Bullish on Urbanism in the Research Triangle

Durham, North Carolina: declining blue collar tobacco town or vibrant oversized college town with big ambitions? Here's where I'd usually say "both"...but it's really door number two. Let's explore!
----------
CityNerd is on Nebula, the creator-owned streaming service, ad-free! Using my custom link gets you 40% off an annual subscription, and really helps the channel! go.nebula.tv/citynerd
Also STILL available: the Lifetime offer! $300 for Nebula as long as both you and Nebula exist, and a full 1/3 of the price goes directly to support this channel. go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=citynerd
And! Gift cards -- get the same deals using my code, but gift a membership to someone who needs weekly (ad-free and promo-free) Nerd propaganda! gift.nebula.tv/citynerd
----------
Care about improving sustainable transportation options in Durham? Consider donating to Bike Durham, or better yet, become a member! bikedurham.org/membership
(And special thanks for lending me a bike while I was in town - you know who you are!)
----------
Patreon - a way to directly support continuing CityNerd output! Thanks to all who have signed up so far.
www.patreon.com/CityNerd
----------
Previous CityNerd videos referenced:
- CityVisit: Winston-Salem: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKmmf4mAaqagp6c
- CityVisit: Charlotte: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5i9lIR_pZl2gpI
----------
Resources:
- The Parking Reform Network's mandates map, great for exploring what other cities are doing on parking policy! parkingreform.org/resources/mandates-map/
- www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/us/duke-durham-light-rail-chapel-hill.html
- indyweek.com/news/northcarolina/duke-light-rail-gotriangle-durham/
- www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-would-increase-costs-for-commuters-defund-transit-maintenance-and-undermine-economic-growth/
----------
Images
- All courtesy yours truly (and GoOgLe)!
----------
Instagram: @nerd4cities
BlueSky: @nerd4cities
Threads: @nerd4cities
Twitter: @nerd4cities
----------
Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (KZbin music library)
----------
Business Inquiries: [e-mail]

[@CityNerd]

You don't need to read the comments -- I already told you Durham is awesome, what more is there to say?? But while you're here, consider supporting the channel by signing up for Nebula! Use my custom link to get 40% off an annual subscription. go.nebula.tv/citynerd Also STILL available: the Lifetime offer! $300 for Nebula as long as both you and Nebula exist, and a full 1/3 of the price goes directly to support this channel. go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=citynerd And! Gift cards -- get the same deals using my code, but gift a membership to someone who needs weekly (ad-free and promo-free) Nerd propaganda! gift.nebula.tv/citynerd

[@KembaWalkerGOAT]

@@CrizioTV Lol. It's not 1990 anymore, grandpa.

[@CrizioTV]

@@KembaWalkerGOAT tf does that even mean, child

[@cellularautomaton.]

minor correction: the regional "GoTriangle" buses have started charging fares again, probably since you recorded the video (the change was july 1st). local "GoDurham" buses are still fare-free though

[@rhonda7289]

City nerd is the biggest fake on youtube.

[@bagenstb]

Thank you for not bringing up the fact that Duke killed a light rail line that Durham had already spent $130 million on.

[@mattywanders]

Shhhh, people might find out Duke killed a proposed (and widely popular) light rail line after the city already spent $130 million on the project.

[@ptknudson80]

Minnesota Public Radio wanted to kill a light rail line in St. Paul, MN. These organizations are terrible

[@Westlander857]

Here in Arizona, both Tucson and Tempe invested in streetcars for their university populations, and they’ve both been massively successful. Not sure what Duke was thinking there.

[@brickitect420]

@@Westlander857 I must remind you the koch brothers own everything from tires to seatbelts to oil/auto companies, it is against their best interest for there to be any kind of transportation competition that isn't cars. Competition is lame! (also I love using the az lightrail/streetcar, they are great esp since the lightrail connects not only to ASU but also the international airport with one of the coolest names you could give an airport.

[@Legority]

it was briefly mentioned at 15:58

[@zephaniahgreenwell8151]

The famous 11'8" underpass!

[@teacul]

11'8"+8" now!

[@SailingROX4321]

We love our can opener!

[@sethtriggs]

That one might be one just a couple blocks away! But I immediately thought of that!

[@jtsholtod.79]

Yeah that's the Erwin Road bridge. The Can Opener bridge is about a mile away on Gregson Street near the train station.

[@mdhazeldine]

I was gonna say...is that THE 11 foot 8 bridge? It's world famous. haha

[@SamuelSmith91]

The Streets at Southpoint has plans to redevelop a large chunk of its parking into a couple thousand apartments.

[@GoldenChildBH]

Really? Niiiice

[@Legority]

wait really? oh that's awesome

[@SamuelSmith91]

@@Legority Yep, I tried sharing the link but I think those get blocked. Just Google "Streets of Southpoint redevelopment", Durham council has approved a plan that includes 1300 apartments, plus offices, hotel, more retail.

[@SamuelSmith91]

@@Legority Yep, city council approved plans for 1.3k apartments, hotel, offices, more retail.

[@CharlesJosepDelDotto]

For further context, the management company that owns the mall pushed for the redevelopment to ensure the mall's viability, as at least two malls in the Triangle, including the older mall north of downtown Durham, have permanently closed in recent years.

[@robthetraveler1099]

4:26 Just casually slipping in footage of The Can Opener without a word 😆

[@michaelvickers4437]

Also, glimpses of America's favourite purveyor of cheesecake at the lifestyle centre, uncharacteristically offered without comment. 🤔

[@user-mg9tb6zt7z]

It's not even! It's a different bridge less than 1.5 km west. Who would have thought there were two!

[@THE_BATLORD]

the can opener is about a mile southeast of this one. Real can opener fans also remember that they raised the height on that bridge to 12'4

[@williamhenning6686]

No op is right. That’s THE can opener on 9th St

[@stapleremover]

​@@williamhenning6686The Canopener is on Gregson St. just past Brightleaf Square.

[@justintime343]

Durham resident here...the social district thing is relatively new in the last few years but yes, was passed on a statewide basis with control by local jurisdictions. Glad you enjoyed Durham!

[@babybalrog]

yep, raleigh has a big one too

[@JimmyDorff]

Downtown Cary also

[@colbyjd3]

Even small towns are adopting social districts, like Franklinton!

[@terriellis3697]

Wow NC rules on alcohol have evolved. When I lived in Durham 15 years ago, we had to time our Brunches on Sunday because we couldn't order Mimosas before noon!

[@colbyjd3]

@@terriellis3697 They changed that a few years ago! But you still have to go through the ABC Stores to get your liquor, and those stores are still closed on Sundays ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@moloch8473]

I really appreciate how this series shows off all the cool urbanist stuff that's going on all over the country. It's a really strong anti-dooming pill about urbanism and shows there are plenty of genuinely nice places to live outside of major cities. This has definitely put a few cities on my map

[@CityNerd]

I appreciate that! Don't get too comfortable, though, Phoenix is coming in a couple weeks

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

I can see why the ultimate doomer hates CityNerd. I consider it an honour to be on NJB's shit list. It means we speak the truth unlike the doomer crowd.

[@ShowLSWH]

Agreed! As a resident of Dallas-Fort Worth where the only two “solutions” to urban problems considered by governments are 1) buy a lifted truck or SUV and 2) build another overpass it’s pretty easy to be a doomer over here.

[@advisorywarning]

Yup Durham is awesome, much better than Raleigh. I highly recommend Durham as someone who lived there for 8 years. The state politics are frustrating though

[@aidenhall8593]

Hey, I get that durham is located within the Research triangle, but saying research triangle refers to the whole urban triangle made by Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham. These other cities, and the ones inbetween (Cary, Apex etc.), are a fascinating case study of urbanism vs suburbanism, all connected by the fantastic greenway trails you rode on. I think you should come back and make a video on the triangle as a whole, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

[@PhillipRPeck]

"Tarheel GOAT... Raymond Felton." Well played, sir

[@banksavram]

As a Heels fan that joke made me actually lol

[@benprovan]

Yeah, was surprisingly inside baseball for an out of towner

[@CityNerd]

As a Trailblazers fan I lived through the pain

[@LizFahyScott]

The Cat Distribution System has spoken. You now have three cats.

[@CityNerd]

It's the sorting cat

[@stewartdillard7199]

I live about 30min outside of Durham and have for the last 30 years. Durham has really improved over the last 15 years or so, I really enjoy heading there to do dinner and drinks w/ friends. Durham is a foodies delight. However, as a local to the area, the growth and genterfication is pushing many of the locals out. While yes, progress is great, the rising cost of living and influx of those moving into the area are starting to kill the local feel of the town. It's become less NC and more hipster paradise. Hopefully, the city figures out the right balance and doesn't lose it's identity while still encouraging growth.

[@andrewdiamond2697]

14:40 Yes, the state of North Carolina does have enabling legislation for Social Districts. There are rules involved, which could be seen as classist, to reduce public drinking by those not paying, including requiring your drink be in a cup from one of the establishments in the district, etc.

[@jayDB5]

Similar things in central Ohio, e.g. New Albany, Gahanna, Bexley, Westerville..

[@michaelkerley746]

Yep Raleigh piloted one that has been pretty successful.

[@andyk10013]

Same in Cincinnati and a few surrounding suburbs as well. They’re called “DORA districts.”

[@kurthanushek5520]

And Toledo.

[@ix830]

It's a step in the right direction. Coming back home to NC I'm always surprised at the ban on happy hours, bars that don't open until 5 (or later), and even the low number of gay bars (even in Charlotte and Raleigh).

[@tajames16]

I was so sad to be working during your event with Bike Durham - thank you for visiting!! Love to see my city getting a feature, and for re-inspiring me to enjoy all the great stuff we have here

[@rebeccablasingame2742]

Downtown Durham needs a grocery store! We looked at buying here but opted for the northern ‘burbs instead because it just wasn’t as walkable as we originally thought for a family with little kids. Lots of expensive restaurants and cool places to drink, but if you’re feeding yourself and your family the normal way, you pretty much need a car. A grocery store with a pharmacy and a small hardware store downtown would make it much more feasible for a wider range of families. It’s also very expensive, but hopefully we’ll get more affordable housing soon.

[@TheWizardAnon]

This, this, this! I moved out of downtown after a year living there because the lack of walkable grocery store. It still requires you have a car just to drive to get food.

[@jonathanstensberg]

Family friendliness is a seriously under-discussed problem in the circles. Perhaps not surprising considering most urbanist creators are either single childless men, or else rarely if ever say anything that would suggest otherwise…

[@ccederlo]

Ah dang, yeah, that's a problem. Those items can be easily overlooked with a general review without perhaps some an urban living checklist

[@paulruth8886]

9th street has a Harris Teeter and a Whole Foods. I guess downtown proper could use a grocery store but the west side of DT is very bikeable for almost everything. Walkable if you pick the right place. There is also a Food Lion in Old West and the Ellerbee Creek trail can get you to Costco, Home Depot, and a second Harris Teeter using a tunnel under I85.

[@matthewsalmon2013]

Hope Valley is definitely a good dessert if you're on foot, but there's hardly anywhere between 147 and 85 that's more than a ten minute walk from a grocery. Maybe it's ethnic or maybe Trinity Park (with some of the priciest homes in the city) is another pedestrian food desert.

[@Lawman212]

A very optimistic outlook on Durham! It is hard to get around without a car though. So many new highways were built without any multimodal features at all. I'm glad they dropped the parking requirements for downtown. That will help a lot to increase demand for public transportation. And you figured out how to get the bus to the airport! Amazing. I've been trying to figure out whether that connection actually works or is some kind of vaporware. You really did have the ideal trip. And thanks for mentioning the Koch brothers. Their evildoing pushed back transit in the Triangle by decades.

[@cellularautomaton.]

i haven't really tried by bus, but durham by bike is absolutely possible if you know where the greenways can get you! although, it gets exponentially worse as you get further from downtown since connectivity plummets

[@eighthu]

just 5 minutes north of 9th str and you are already in suburban stroad hell in durham. but i don't blame him for missing that part... the bus system misses that part too 😂

[@knosis]

Durham by bus is not bad. Especially if you live downtown. Too bad it isn't free anymore lol.

[@eighthu]

@@knosis which is why I specified north of 9th, lol.

[@cellularautomaton.]

@@knosis the local godurham buses are still free, it's only the gotriangle ones that have switched back to fares!

[@DavidStevensMD]

Thanks for highlighting our little city. Pretty much 100% of the growth in the Geer/Mangum street area (around Fullsteam Brewery) has happened within the past ten years or so. And the majority of that really in the last five years. Durham has about 5,000 new residents every year, so now is the time to build density and establish good urbanism while there is vigorous real estate demand to justify it! Further out from the inner-ring mixed density neighborhoods, things are more hit or miss. Not all neighborhoods have streetlights, sidewalks, & the other basic things that make walking and biking safer. But there is a bond in the next local election for sidewalk improvements. Any other Durham residents watching this video, please vote! Thanks again!

[@bikeyclown4669]

It's amazing to me to see how many hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated, spent, and then disappeared without any sign of an actual light rail train. In the Denver -Boulder area of Colorado, rail lines were voted on, planned for, funded and land was purchased. New light rail lines were built throughout the Denver-Metro area, but no light rail lines were built in the Boulder area. The land is purchased, so they can build the lines, but the money to complete the project pretty much disappeared. It was much needed and anticipated infrastructure too.

[@warrenlemay8134]

I went to high school at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham - it was a very fun place to live car-free at the boarding school, with the 9th Street business district just down the road. Going back as an adult in 2019, 5 years after graduation, it was amazing to see how much had changed in such a short period of time.

[@KembaWalkerGOAT]

Isn't it unreal?

[@advisorywarning]

I adore 9th street

[@adameanglin]

I spent 6 years living in NC, 3 in Durham. If I had to rank the states 1 to 50 to live in, NC would make my top ten. (I'm a Californian.)

[@JoshuaFagan]

I really think the "upper South" of North Carolina and Virginia is underrated. There's more urbanism and walkability than a lot of people think, and prices are still quite reasonable compared to other parts of the country.

[@bjdon99]

Home prices in the RDU area are going parabolic. So are Charlotte’s. Virginia’s best urban area (the suburbs of DC) are crazy expensive

[@vvvvvvvvvwv]

Omg the cat at the end 🥹

[@critiqueofthegothgf]

that Raymond Felton fakeout made me spit out my drink

[@CitizenTowel]

I scrolled down for this: best moment of the video!

[@matthewsalmon2013]

Did Jordan dirty 😂😂

[@adamhaynes1695]

You forgot to mention Durham is a proper foodie town. We have several James Beard chef restaurants, #1 rated coffee roasters, #1 rated craft gin, #1 rated foodie town of the Southeast by Southern Living magazine.

[@SteamPwerd]

Durham resident here- so glad you enjoyed your visit! Check out Old East Durham next time for a great example of a walkable/bikeable neighborhood with accessible small businesses nearby. Proud to be NC!!

[@ewanmck5]

wow, my city on citynerd!

[@amperscore]

Lived in Winston all my life and am going to NC state in Raleigh in the fall. I would love nothing more in this world than a decent rail line between the triad and triangle because the drive between the two sucks. Learning that it was once a possibility makes me so indescribably upset. There are no words to describe my fury

[@BobSpaziano]

Love downtown Durham, that’s where my office is. Surprised you didn’t cast any shade at NC-147 or The Loop. Durham would be so much more if those roads were erased from the earth.

[@gavinoneil5514]

The cat has chosen you already. No turning back now!

[@sethtriggs]

The Cat Distribution System is real!

[@TheLiamster]

He is so cute and I wouldn’t want to leave him

[@CityNerd]

I've been selected??? This is how it works?

[@manmasher]

@@CityNerdIndeed it is. Consider it a high compliment - cats don’t like just anyone, you know! 😉

[@TheCriminalViolin]

@@CityNerd You don't adopt cats, cats adopt you.

[@jfmezei]

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently launched the project to rebuild the S-Line, the original direct railway betweem Richmond and Raleigh and once rebuilt expects to cut passenger train travel time by over an hour and designed to support 175kmh speeds (that is about 110 US miles per hour) with a lot of grade separation in project. The S-Line project driven by NCDOT. They hope this will create more frequent train services in region.

[@Waldzkrieger]

As an NC resident, Durham city worker, and local government nerd, it's super cool to have a whole video about our city!! To answer your question, yes the state legislature passed an act enabling cities to create "social districts" a couple of years ago. I think most major cities have one, including Durham, Raleigh, and Greensboro.

[@quackywhackityphillyb.3005]

11 foot 8 bridge 😮

[@kennykenkak]

I just moved to Raleigh a couple weeks ago and so what an exciting and well timed set of videos for me!!

[@mattywanders]

Welcome!

[@theajax7752]

Raymond Felton mentioned hahahah LETS GO

[@GarzaB]

The Greenway System in Raleigh-Durham is fantastic!

[@ZackScriven]

Thanks for highlighting local advocacy groups! I’m a part of one in Salt Lake City supporting the Rio Grande Plan. A plan to put a train box in SLC and grade separate a large rail yard on the west end of the city. And restoring service to the Rio Grande Depot!

[@timk7073]

Biking on hills is a lot of fun! A straight, flat bike path gets boring pretty quickly.

[@KembaWalkerGOAT]

You couldn't possibly put into words the transformation Durham has gone through in the last ~15 years. It used to be right there with Fayetteville as the stereotypical bottom-tier NC city, and now it already might be my 2nd favorite. Truly a unique lil city with a fascinating history, much more enjoyable & lively than its larger neighbor a bit further east.

[@elemenopi55]

what's your 1st favorite????

[@cellularautomaton.]

​@@elemenopi55if i had to guess, most people watching this channel would probably say asheville

[@chrisfarmer6893]

I'm from Durham and I remember in the early 2000s that college guides used to list the city of Durham as one of the worst points about Duke University. How the tables have turned! I know one video can't cover everything but I think this missed a big historical point about how Highway 147 destroyed a prosperous black neighborhood, the Hayti district, that was nicknamed Black Wall Street.

[@elias90368]

@@cellularautomaton. I recognize your name, we climbed a tower together a bit over a year ago. I guess it makes sense that I’d see someone I recognize on this video but still. Hope you’re doing well lol

[@cellularautomaton.]

@@elias90368 oh hi lmao. same to you

[@walterwoods]

A video about how access to National Parks largely requires a private vehicle could be interesting. Maybe the best worst ones on that metric.

[@jacobschmidt6008]

My undergrad film professor was the assistant to the director on Bull Durham. He would host a screening every year and share stories from the making of the film. It's good to see that ballpark full and the city still embracing the team.

[@KendallKD]

I’m glad to see the old park is still there too! We were extras in the stands for some of the filming, and lived close enough to hear the crowd when there was a home run. Good memories.

[@LouisDaPen]

Great video and glad you loved Durham and NC! Transportation is your bailiwick, but Durham has lots to talk about with housing, gentrification, and affordability. History, too! Don't know if you heard about the history of 147/Durham Freeway as an "urban renewal" project, the effect it had on the Hayti (hay-tie) neighborhood. Glad you got to see the Bulls; Wool E. Bull is the real deal when it comes to mascots and the DBAP is great!

[@michaels8909]

Thanks for coming to our city and doing such a great video on it! I'm also really glad you got to meet one of our many friendly street cats at the end. One of my favorite parts of walking around the downtown neighborhoods is interacting with all the friendly cats 🐈

[@Qwertybob54]

No one is explaining the weird purple mascot! First of all the 'main' mascot is Wool E. Bull, Blue Monster makes muuuch more limited appearances. Its a reference to the massive blue wall (blue monster) on the left outfield!

[@KendallKD]

Thank you for explaining! I was wondering why there were two. The Greensboro team has a similarly weird green monster… looks like it was pulled from an episode of The Simpsons.

[@rebeccawinter472]

I super appreciate all the time you put into your work Ray. This script really shines. The timing with the video - e.g. @ 10:05 - is perfect. Also, don’t miss the epic cat meow time at the end. We are blessed this week.

[@chrisfarmer6893]

I know one video can't cover everything. But sadly, like a lot of cities, Durham has the story of a highway that destroyed a prosperous black neighborhood. The old Hayti district was nicknamed Black Wall Street and Highway 147 put an end to that. Durham is also home to NC Central, a historically black university with a lot of great "college town" vibes in the area.

[@hgmvhf]

Kitty cohost #2 is a great addition, steal him.

[@cocommander2]

North Carolina and Durham native here. I grew up in the Bull City and have since returned from an extended period out of the state. This is my third year back and I am glad to see the city center being revitalized. I live a fairly easy bike ride from The Streets at Southpoint. I say this since most of the roads behind the mall do not have bike lanes. When I bike on these roads, I have to keep watch for cars. Most drivers will see you and wait their opportunity to pass. My childhood home is an easy ride to the Tobacco Trail. The Woodcroft, Woodlake, Parkwood, Grandale, and other area neighborhoods have a good network of footpaths and multi-use paths snaking around them. Granted, I do have a car and wished I took my bicycle out more than the car. Where I live now, I can still ride to the Tobacco Trail, but it's easier to bring my bike on the car since the main road has no shoulder and a high speed limit. Fun fact: the "stroad" that is Fayetteville Street from Barbee past MLK Boulevard towards downtown was once a simple two-lane. I'd always get stuck trying to turn left at Barbee because everyone else was. The Tobacco Trail crosses that intersection at one signal, now it's two. Though most try to cut across to reduce crossing time. The Tobacco Trail runs all the way through Cary and terminates west of Apex, linking to the greenway systems of those suburban metros. A light rail system connecting Raleigh, Durham, Cary, RDU Airport, and nearby Chapel Hill is a no-brainer. I'm sad it got torpedoed. I wouldn't have to drive into downtown and park; just leave my car at the nearest park-n-ride and maybe bring my bike. It would also facilitate getting to RTP, Raleigh, and Cary for events. GO Durham once trialed a bus route near the entrance to my neighborhood, though the area is car-centric. The fact no buses run through here anymore testifies to that. Though, I love the network of footpaths that make walking, running, or biking a breeze.

[@exmenno]

I enjoyed five years in Durham, post-doc’ing at you know where, in the 90’s. Last two years I lived in a passive solar apartment, one of multiple units built by a couple who also built solar homes until the market changed. It was a lovely wooded neighborhood, 15 minute bike ride from work, with Ethiopian take-out nearby. At the time, downtown was still a scary place but redevelopment of the tobacco warehouses was starting. Thanks for the memories.

[@KWMacdonald]

Thanks for the glowing review of my hometown, but someday perhaps you could take on the issue of five-over-one construction. The bland sameness of it contrasts sharply with the distinctive red-brick style of our older buildings, and there's more and more of it all the time. You showed what's left of Liberty Warehouse - a couple of walls, like a fig leaf on another five-over-one apartment block. There was a campaign to save Liberty Warehouse -unsuccessful, obviously.

[@danieldougan269]

Hey Ray, if you ever come to Indianapolis, I'll show you around. Plus Carmel, which is worthy of an urbanism video of its own.

[@michaelvickers4437]

Rope in John Green. I'd love to see a Ray D & John G collab tour of Indianapolis!

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Aaron Freeman is pure evil.

[@shelby7090]

He said once he wants to cover the cultural trial at some point. Also red line station design is really nice.

[@TannerLovelace]

As a south Durhamite, I'm very glad to see you include locations to the south! So many things about Durham seem to think that the city ends just south of the downtown! I do, however, kind of wish you had mentioned Bean Trader's coffee shop, just to the north of the I-40 bridge, which is a great place to park and run on bike on the trail and then afterward have a coffee or tea. Anyway, thanks for the great video about Durham!

[@cellularautomaton.]

bean traders is literally in a strip mall, not too interesting on an urbanism channel. like, you admitted you drive to it in your own comment

[@JordanGriffith]

Would love to gage your interest in visiting Columbus, Ohio at some point. We have a growing urbanism community through local strong towns and N4MN groups, and the city is undergoing phase one of a massive rezoning (including a marking minimum removal), a ballot measure to fund bus rapid transit, and a major update to cycling infrastructure across the city.

[@tjsworld98]

I love Durham so much it is a hidden gem in the south

[@BrianF-eg1bt]

Moved to North Durham from Boston 3 years ago. Great place to live, especially some of the quieter areas like up around Latta Rd area. Never any real traffic, and I see horses and cows en route to grocery store. Downtown has great food, a few perfect outdoor eating/ drinking options! They just need a supermarket or 7-11 down there

[@ncmathsadist]

Durham is a great town stuffed with amazing things. Its sister city, Chapel Hill is worth seeing too.

[@cameronthaijohnson]

Madisonian here who shares your pain since Scott Walker and Republicans made us pay for high speed rail trains between Madison and Milwaukee that we never got because of them which would have been so convenient.

[@mentalrectangle]

NC has had a similar situation with a hard gerrymandered legislature that rules with an iron fist.

[@joemccullough4246]

A damn shame. Chicago to STL was supposed to get high speed rail too

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Scott Walker is pure evil.

[@chicagoknitter]

Scott Walker was the worst. The train company that moved into the central city to build the rail cars for the high speed train ended up suing the government when Walker shut the project down.

[@kevilharris4379]

As a life long North Carolinian these have been my dream videos! Thanks for coming by and sharing some positive aspects of our state 😊 We've got some complicated stuff going on right now politically, which often bleeds over to our transit projects unfortunately. But I have hope these things will sort out over time.

[@grayw0lf110]

If you liked Durham so much... you're going to be sorely disappointed by Raleigh. It's gotten nowhere near as much love as Durham has had in recent years.

[@JamesVanD]

Nice! I can't wait to see you in Raleigh

[@mollyrita9777]

ray, I grew up in Phoenix and I literally cannot wait for your video about it. I've since escaped and now live in a walkable neighborhood in the bay area, but I think about greater Phx's lack of reasonable planning every single day. please tear it to shreds. it will add years to my life

[@kirkginoabolafia3650]

Ray! So sad I missed the event with you, but I do volunteer work for Bike Durham and I'm so glad they were great hosts for you in our awesome city. We have a lot of work to do, of course, but it makes me really proud that the efforts the city and Bike Durham have done have created a (somewhat..) walkable haven in central NC. My wife moved in with me downtown Durham from Japan and it's been a real relief seeing her able to walk or bike to so many different places safely; she was worried that she would depend heavily on a car, and that's fortunately not the case downtown Durham and it's one of the biggest things I love about Durham, although we're far from perfect. And yes, we have a little too many shops selling mind-altering drugs haha, but you may have passed by Da Kine's, the kava/kratom bar in the West End that's been a good non-alcoholic haven for me. Sorry again I didn't meet you, but I hope to see you working again with the amazing folks at Bike Durham again. Keep up the good fight.

[@straightup8807]

Absolutely appalled by the lack of cheesecake factory footage during the Southpoint segment 😔

[@mattywanders]

Welcome to the Triangle. Durham is cool and oftentimes gets overshadowed by Raleigh. They've got some good stuff going on in the Bull City.

[@stephenshaw7593]

I like Durham a lot more than Raleigh. It's a much more fun city imo. Just more going on

[@advisorywarning]

Durham > Raleigh I’ve been a resident of both and I can say definitely Durham is better in every way imo

[@Alex_564]

A city visit to the Central Massachusetts city of Holyoke area would be interesting. It's a mix of farmland, college town & good urbanism.

[@jfrechette]

NC does have a huge craft brew industry. Maybe it's tradition stemming from the shiners back in the day! Raleigh hosts NC largest craft beer fest every year called Brewgaloo, put on by Shop Local Raleigh.

[@johnmcmahon5225]

The Sierra Nevada brewery near Ashville is insane. Willy Wonka's beer factory.

[@SamCrane]

This is the best day ever. I’m about to move to Durham and have been waiting for this video to drop ever since the piedmont triangle one

[@Cmbgo98]

Wow I’m featured in a City Nerd video! Briefly saw you biking downtown with the group but wasn’t sure what was going on until I left town. I live in Charlotte now, but I have friends in Durham/Chapel Hill so I visit pretty often. It’s a great city :) As a suggestion, if you ever find yourself in New England I’d love to see a video about Lowell, MA. My hometown and a super interesting textile manufacturing city from the early American Industrial Revolution. Summer up there is usually the best time to visit, but it’s also gorgeous in December with the lights put up.

[@blaiseschaeffer5574]

Just moved from Durham and can’t wait to be back! Happy this amazing city is getting a moment in the sun. Glad you had a good trip!

[@IsThisTheKrustyCrab]

Lost it at Raymond Felton 😂

[@Drewsco]

I love how NC repurposes old structures instead of destroying them. Super cool.

[@matthewg7228]

I live far south of Durham but I use the Tobacco Trail often and have seen every mile of it. I hope you enjoyed our warm summer and all of the beautiful repurposed buildings downtown as well as the Bulls.

[@SHEAdTeeVee]

I love visiting my family in Durham. I always call it suburbs perfected because of the urban amenities so close by.

[@chicagoknitter]

My dad relocated from Winston-Salem to Durham over a decade ago and loves it. We just got back from a recent visit and besides the awful humidity, really enjoyed our time there. We also went to a Durham Bulls game and had a great time!

[@TwangThang57]

"Why's he calling me meat? I'm the one driving a Porsche."

[@russellzauner]

It was a while ago, but a company I worked for bought a company that was from NC. They couldn't get a single person to reloc to OR, even though they ultimately shut down that site.

[@randomchannel-px6ho]

FYI if you think that who you vote for doesn't matter, work is beginning on a high speed rail connection between the reseaech triangle and central virginia thanks to the huge infrasturcture bill. That will absolutely get axed and not funded if you know who wins

[@jpfath]

The airport connection bit at the end made me think maybe there is an opportunity for a video like, “Best mid-size cities to fly into without needing to rent a car.” Or, “Worst big cities to fly into without a car.” Maybe there’s something there….

[@bassguitar2709]

You definitely need a car in NC, also the Buses still get stuck in traffic jams on I-40 to and from the Airport everyday, there's no avoiding long delays.

[@Jetliner]

@@bassguitar2709 ain't nicknamed Sprawleigh for nothin'

[@Legority]

Awesome video! Unfortunate you missed what I consider to be the center of downtown Durham: the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center). Overall, I love visiting Durham, since it's enjoyable and not too far away. for other visits to NC, I'd recommend the rest of the Triangle (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and the glorified suburb Cary), plus Asheville, Wilmington, and if you're looking for more isolated college towns visit Boone and Greenville.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Boone is home to the evil NIMBY propagandist John Nolte.

[@GeorgeP-uj8xc]

Great vid! Have you considered coming back down to Florida for another video? There's a lot going on the Fort-Lauderdale and West Palm Beach area! The new Flagler Village development next to the Brightline station is a microcosm of walkable urbanism.

[@KBJ910]

As a local this is a really good video. Durham gets a bad rep but it’s downtown has came a long way over the past 6 years. It has so much life and moving into a more urban life that its neighboring city of Raleigh is missing the life in its downtown. The Sip N Stroll started in Raleigh and many other cities adapted it to bring back more people into the downtowns because 2020 the downtowns took a massive hit in feet traffic. The American Tobacco campus is getting Meta and google just moved in.

[@xlmacro8754]

As a Duke Alum that spent a few years in Durham after graduation in the bullpen area, you were spot on with this assessment of Durham.

[@joeyedmond6587]

I used to work at that sports bar with the murals (Tobacco Road Sports Cafe). You can literally watch the game from the patio for free as it overhangs the park. Anyway, thanks for the Durham video. It's a cool place.

[@advisorywarning]

Same!!

[@nimrod06]

Durham resident here... Went to your event but didn't get to talk with you. A thing about Durham is that it is expensive for the amount of urbanism that you get. It is not impossible to craft a car-free life, but the price bump is quite big. Because of the lack of light rail (thanks to our landlord Duke), you will have a hard time going to the other parts of research triangle without a car, where the jobs are at. So technically, you are still car-dependent It could be that you were not visiting for a long period, but the living experience in Durham is going to have much more blacks than in your video. Especially if you are taking transit and attempt to live car-free, which I did. This is a diametrical feeling that I felt as I arrived at Fullsteam or looked at Bike Durham - it's very white.

[@CrossboneSyndicate]

Umm... It sounds like you're framing Durham having a lot of black people as a negative or at least something for something moving here to be cautious of. Hopefully I'm misunderstanding you.

[@nimrod06]

@@CrossboneSyndicate WTF how do you even arrive at this? Durham is a city with prominent black culture. The video didn't present that.

[@nimrod06]

If anything I am critizing the video and Bike Durham to be not black enough.

[@junkman226]

You didn’t go to chapel hill 😢the free bus network there turned me into an urbanist

[@ocularpatdown]

Problem is that it’s North Carolina.

[@CharlesJosepDelDotto]

I'm a little surprised by the lack of a joke regarding Durham's world-class performing arts center being located right across the street from the county jail! 🤣

[@BottyGuy]

Or the number of people who what to rent an apartment next to the county jail. BTW my experience with the Durham county jail has been very positive, the front desk people that work there are lovely.

[@MegaGo68]

So glad you've discovered the charm (and substance) of the mid-Atlantic. Guess what? Virginia is pretty good, too. I prefer the word "homeless" to "unhoused," however. Being politically correct or polite is really counterproductive in this case, since the emotional valence and urgency of the word "homeless" is what you want listeners to grasp, in my view.

[@PGHproductions]

Fantastic overview of Durham! I live here and still feel like I learned a couple things

[@JodBasedow]

Just moved away from Durham a couple weeks ago and there was a lot to like. You somewhat touched on a funny dichotomy where the gov gets to double dip on good publicity of how north side is getting developed while also contributing to car dependence with random townhome neighborhoods in the middle of nowhere near Southpoint.

[@Madaboutmada]

The Duke Lemer Center is on my bucket list. While I served in Peace Corps Madagascar, I never saw a lemur in the wild. They are doing a lot of good work and should be checked out.

[@harolds1559]

Ugh the Fayetteville Barbie intersection.. they just finished that about 2021… our street Belgreen is the “5th” point of that intersection, requires a u turn navigating two disorienting on coming right turn lanes and the tobacco trail. Agree with all you had to say and glad you had an awesome time in the triangle and triad. As healthcare professionals we find Durham county a really great balance between work, life and travel.

[@TannerLovelace]

Yeah, I was also going to say it was recently worked on and as bad as it is, it could be worse. At the very least, when the crosswalk says to walk, all other directions have a red light and a "no turn on right" sign turns on so that there *shouldn't* be any problems with getting hit by a turning car.

[@saratemp790]

Next time you have to go to nearby college town Chapel Hill, which is one of my favorite cities in the US. It has very artsy vibes. I haven't been there in a while, so I hope it has held up.

[@Blukat2-pb8lx]

Live there, can confirm. The Franklin/Rosemary street area is very nice and walkable as well as Carrmill mall (That's in Carrboro but they're basically the same place)

[@Legority]

Chapel Hill and Carrboro are great! highly recommend, not only because they're both my hometown

[@Lawman212]

Chapel Hill is a lovely place, though many concede the urban energy is in Durham now though.

[@jakebruner2719]

Franklin St is great!! I love chapel hill -a duke student

[@IlCaroSassone]

Chapel Hill and Carrboro are both very walkable and bike friendly. Highly recommended. I can easily walk to three grocery stores from my house, all under 1 mile.

[@hgman3920]

I live in Winston-Salem but visit Durham frequently because of DPAC, the Durham Performing Arts Center. Even though Greensboro recently built a performing arts center of their own, DPAC remains one of the best performance spaces in the state of North Carolina. It's also located within walking distance of the American Tobacco Campus

[@petermilian4455]

Would love to see Raleigh next! The new Amtrak station in Raleigh is a highlight you'd really enjoy. Also, Raleigh's downtown has definitely been slower to add density than Durham's downtown, but Raleigh's North Hills, one of the four "Midtown" neighborhoods, has been adding density at a more rapid pace and is worth a look. Lots of density surrounded by beautiful shady residential neighborhoods with great sidewalks and convenient greenway access. Most of your hype of Durham is warranted, but Durham (and Raleigh) have a few issues that get glossed over by urbanists - primarily the extreme levels of noise pollution, business focus on alcohol consumption / alcohol adjacent "experiences" like axe throwing, and dangerous driving that take place in what gets hyped as the walkable core. There are very real risks to pedestrians and cyclists trying to navigate these cores and it's typically preferrable to avoid them entirely after 4pm. Also, most of the newer apartments in Durham are 5-over-1's made out of wood with effectively zero noise insulation to protect tenants from the extreme noise issues (or noise from other tenants). So the urban cores of Durham and Raleigh are pleasant to visit for a morning or afternoon - like you did! - but actually living in them has serious drawbacks.

[@ashleydodson3633]

North hills is great! Kind of amazing how much with core north hills, plus innovation district and the next exchange area. But Raleigh is throwing up a lot more density downtown too. Several big new places. I agree on the station in Raleigh, it was great. Kind of blew my mind when I got to Charlotte from it, because it was such a downgrade (Charlotte's is like 60 years old, but new one coming next year I think).

[@johnlabus7359]

I don't know the numbers, but Raleigh is sitting around watching other cities add housing downtown. The city continues to had substantial numbers of units in and around its core.

[@Sweatymilkshake]

Need to get you down to Greenville SC and get your thoughts on it.

[@abr7192]

Another great video. Thank you! This was very interesting and educational. In terms of baseball movies, the absolute best and favorite of mine is The Natural which starred an incredible star studded cast.

[@ErnestPecounis]

Thank you for your great video. I hope that you will come back for one more video. Maybe cover Raleigh and Chapel Hill. By the way, Raleigh has a "Sip n' Stroll Downtown" social district for sometime now. The North Carolina General Assembly enacted a legislation in 2021, which allows municipalities to create such "social districts" where alcohol can be purchased from a business and taken outdoors.

[@Ercrcrdsstff]

Been really enjoying all the NC content. It's at a pivotal time too bc most of the things you've covered are brand new. I'd love to see a vid on Asheville. We have had some good developments recently but a lot of terrible existing and planned urbanization plans

[@CalderdaleKid]

Thoroughly enjoyed this video of Durham. What a great place.

[@daveshut]

First of all, you make great videos. The high speed rail network makes me cry, but that is the nature of the beast! Second, would you ever consider making a video about the most affordable walkable beach town, most affordable urbanist mountain/ski town, and most urbanist friendly for taking college prerequisite courses? I might as well throw it in there, would you want to do an urbanist guide of best affordable urbanist cities for American expats/immigrants to move to? I know those are sorta of obscure, but the video would help me determine where I might move next! Keep doing what you're doing!

[@CityNerd]

These are all interesting and I'll mark 'em down in my trusty spreadsheet. Thanks so much!

[@JoshKablack]

As a daily bike commuter and also a recreational rail trail enthusiast, I'm actually curious if recreational bike trails increase mode share or if they reinforce drivers' attitudes that bikes belong places other than roads? But I have no idea what sort of data you'd want to look at to try and answer that. If anyone does it would make a very interesting video.

[@FameyFamous]

Cars are noisy. I'll share roads with cars if necessary, but I always prefer to bike on recreational trails.

[@_bats_]

Yeah, I like them, too, but as he hinted at it is kind of a shame that a right of way that could be used for mass transit has been converted into a token bit of bike infrastructure that more often than not doesn't really serve a functional purpose beyond recreation. I'm not from the area myself but why not build a tram along the American Tobacco Trail and put dense housing at The Streets at South Point? There's already a fair amount of housing density along the parallel Fayetteville Rd. Looking at, for example, NotJustBikes videos that show transit oriented development bringing massive tax revenue to cities make it clear that this is a good path forward.