I do think more attention to the sidewalk experience is needed. I feel the DRA is on top of it but a larger look is probably still needed. Good things in progress include those tree planter fillings as well as the trash can “molok” wannabes. (RIP Moloks) I hope these expand in 2025 and trash cans disappear off our sidewalks. There’s also various sidewalk art projects that take place here and there.
These are nice and should continue but I think people have higher expectations. I have a theory as to why downtown Raleigh is nicer at night versus the day (from my perspective) and that’s because when it’s night time, downtown ONLY does dinner/nightlife/fun things. During the day, let’s say during lunch time, you get all kinds of things taking place. On a weekday, if you walk down Wilmington, I might see or hear:
- Trash trucks making pickups
- Grease trucks sucking and pumping
- Delivery trucks delivering packages, beverages, or food
- Buses rolling on through
- Police cars policing
- That alarm sound thing when a car is exiting a parking deck
- City maintenance folks might be power washing something
My point is that downtown is just noisier and very active during the day and I think, at a subconscious level, people migrate away from those zones. But not so much at night because all this seems to go away.
Take a look at Seaboard’s new “main” street. Do you think they’ll allow those types of things on that street? No way because it breaks the experience of being a place you want to be. This all happens less on Fayetteville Street too which makes it a nicer street to be on. (still needs work but you know what I mean)
My hot take would be that the sidewalk experience needs to be improved in and around GoRaleigh, including Wilmington Street, so that MORE people want to be there. I believe it will help with crime taking that “eyes on the street” approach.
Downtown can’t be micromanaged in terms of deliveries and the presence of maintenance trucks that places like Fenton or North Hills can manage but there are plenty of things we can do to make it better.
Lots of thoughts on this but Wilmington Street is so utility these days and I’d love to see it given a makeover. I think that’ll help with a variety of issues.