Downtown Durham Master Plan & Plan Update
Durham, North Carolina
Downtown Durham, North Carolina experienced significant disinvestment over the last half of the 20th century. Development Concepts, Inc. completed a Master Plan for Downtown Durham in 2000 to reverse this trend. This ambitious plan outlined redevelopment goals to revitalize downtown Durham. Within seven years of the Plan’s completion Downtown Durham had accomplished many of these development goals and experienced over $1 billion of public and private investment.
Due to the rapid success of the Downtown Durham Master Plan, Downtown Durham, Inc. brought DCI back to update the Plan. In this update, DCI examined downtown Durham’s progress and determined new goals and strategies for the City to focus on over the next decade.
DCI’s Master Plan Update observed that while significant development activity had taken place on the edges of Downtown, little had changed in the core of Downtown Durham. The core of downtown was separated from surrounding downtown districts by rail tracks and a wide arterial, dubbed “The Loop.” DCI identified seven ‘catalyst’ projects to revitalize the Downtown core and connect it to areas with high activity and investment. The final report included an implementation plan and action steps to provide Downtown Durham with a ‘roadmap’ for future decision making.
As an organization that serves as a catalyst for downtown revitalization, we were sold on DCI’s track record with redevelopment planning for cities like Durham and their experience with the business side of the redevelopment … they don’t just plan, they also build. We wanted, and have benefited from, DCI’s combination of visioning and practical knowhow.”
Bill Kalkhof, President, Downtown Durham, Inc.
