Urban Development and the U Street Corridor

Rick Reinhard, the Deputy Executive Director of Planning and Development for the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID), was the leader of our most recent excursion out into the streets and institutions in and around Washington, DC for our Friday class. However, instead of relying on a carefully planned lecture, PowerPoint presentation, or other media, Rick brought us face to face with the heart of our discussion—U Street, and by extension, the trials of urban planning and development.

Before getting too entrenched in the debate of urban planning, development, and revitalization, one must realize the historical significance of the U Street area to Washington, DC. Throughout the early to mid 20th Century, the U Street Corridor was the home for much of the African American communities’ cultural institutions. Nightclubs, swanky bars, jazz and music clubs, shops, exciting restaurants, and galleries packed the area with stimulating options for artistic and cultural inquiry, expansion, and growth. Also, commercial ventures sought the U Street Corridor as an important outlet for their services, so many car dealerships, boutiques, shops, and community-serving agents (lawyers, etc.) moved into the area to capitalize on the market potential. However, following the 1968 race riots that occurred throughout the United States as a reaction to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the U Street Corridor quickly declined into a state of disrepair, turmoil, and neglect. Continuing until the late 1990s, the area was home to mass violence and crime, which merely perpetuated the derelict nature of the once revered section of Washington, DC. It wasn’t until the mid to late 1990s that the area began to move away from this state through much movement for revitalization, rebuilding, and gentrification on the part of the city and the community.

We began our tour of this historic area by first stopping by the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center. This large building was one of the first initiatives made by the government to try and revive the U Street area. Important to note is the name of the Center, as Frank D. Reeves was one of the leaders in pressing for the desegregation of schools throughout America. The dedication in Reeves’ honor aligns well with the fact that U Street was a predominantly African-American community. The Center thereby does not work to negate the rich cultural history of the area; rather, it aims to re-establishes the esteem of the area.
Ruminations on The Municipal Center began our discussion of urban planning and development with Rick. He began by referencing much of the literature we had been given to read in preparation for our U Street venture by he delving into the points made by Lynch regarding the physical layout of cities. Instead of merely commenting on the general feel of the area, Rick invited us to dissect all parts of the street corner of U and 14th Streets. How tall are the buildings? What are the materials used to make them? How many windows do they have? Are there any public benches or rest areas? These are the things that one must look at to truly analyze the execution and planning of urban development.

We continued on our walkabout of the U Street Corridor by walking along U Street between 12th and 14th streets. During this point, we touched upon the role of public transportation and apartment housing on a neglected area of the city. While it may seem to be a mistake to put a Metro stop in a place that is incredibly impoverished, due to high crime rates and low usage, it actually raises the value of the surrounding land. However, the issue is usually that the government doesn’t want to take sole responsibility of funding the revitalization effort, so private investors, corporations, or apartment building complexes will often take up the effort alongside the government in funding the Metro. Because land is inexpensive, developers can purchase a large amount of space in which to place their new buildings. This then leads to increased interest in living in the area (due to new and well furbished apartments and condominiums), which breeds greater awareness from businesses, and all of a sudden you have a bustling and revitalized portion of the city.

While this may be one of the main formulas for re-establishing and gentrifying a certain part of the city, who is responsible for bringing the neglected area into the attention of entrepreneurs, developers, and government officials? According to Rick Reinhard, as well as Richard Florida, the “creative class” is the main reason these areas become spots of interest. The “creative class” has much breadth in demographic, but its main constituency is that of young professionals and artists. These people are willing to move into more derelict and ignored areas of town in order to capitalize on the cheap rents of the area, in order to establish their work places, whether they be small, independent shops, boutiques, studios, galleries, or restaurants. By spending less on their living arrangements, they can pump more money and focus into their professional ventures. They are also dubbed the “creative class” because they infuse contemporary thought and creativity into their work and community. They’re responsible for mural painting, compelling visual design, and community-strengthening events. The more interest that the “creative class” brings to an area the more the location becomes revitalized and is soon hailed as “up and coming.”

While I certainly agree with Rick on these parts, he failed to mention an incredibly important demographic in the creative class that Richard Florida does mention: the gay community. It is established that white gay males have an incredible economic potential, above many other social demographics in the United States. Not only are they often economically viable, they also really value strong communities that are focused on being tolerant and open to their lifestyles. This may seem antithetical to their mission, since more often than not neglected areas are places that breed intolerance and hate. However, it is shown historically that the gay community often moves to these spots to escape the heteronormative and hegemonic gentrified areas of the city in order to build a community that respects their ethos. They value the cultural qualities of areas, and so often the gay community and the artistic side of the “creative class” go hand in hand. Examples of these in Washington, DC are the Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle areas. According to Richard Florida, other cities around the United States that have benefited from large outpouring gay revitalization efforts include San Francisco, Austin, and Madison, Wisconsin. Christopher Swope from Governing magazine wrote a large feature article titled “Chasing the Rainbow: Is a Gay Population an Engine of Urban Revival?” in which he borrowed heavily from Florida’s postulations on urban development. He writes, “Gays, it seems, are good at playing the role of “urban pioneers,” making sketchy neighborhoods feel safe enough that young professionals and others will follow.” This builds on Florida’s statement regarding the relationship between gay identity and cultural diversity. He states, “Homosexuality represents the last frontier of diversity in our society, and thus a place that welcomes the gay community welcomes all kinds of people. Openness to the gay community is a good indicator of the low entry barriers to human capital that are so important to spurring creativity and generating high-tech growth.” (Florida, “The Rise of The Creative Class”) I find it quite interesting that Rick relatively ignored the tremendous power in urban revitalization of the gay community. While we were not studying Adams Morgan or Dupont Circle, there is lots of influence from gay people on the new look of U Street. The New York Times article “U Street: The Corridor is Cool Again,” by Alicia Ault makes a point to expose the main appeal of the new U Street look: the diversity of the crowd.

Rick Reinhard definitely led us on an interesting tour, not only through the physical U Street manifestations, but also the theoretical and intellectual approach to urban development, planning, and revitalization. While his main focus lies in the Business Improvement District of DC, often known as “Downtown”, (which is crowded with lots of big name corporate stores interspersed with cultural offerings), Rick showed a great grasp on what it takes to rekindle interest in areas of cities. However, perhaps I side more with Richard Florida than Rick Reinhard, in that I believe the bulk of urban development should be based around the unique forces of the “creative class.” Even so, I know I’ll be traveling back to U Street quite a few more times during my time in Washington, DC. Whether it’s to take advantage of the late-night club activity at Bar Nun or Tabaq, concerts at the Lincoln Theater, a great meal at Ben’s Chili Bowl, an open mic night at the Langston Hughes-inspired Busboys and Poets, or for new shoes at Shoefly, the U Street Corridor offers a diversity of artistic, social, and cultural choices from which to choose.