For a formerly miserable suburbanite, the town of Chapel Hill is a breath of fresh air. I grew up in a city of 60,000 on Florida’s east coast, one in which the richest public life occurred in supermarket parking lots. By 18, I knew I had to leave.
Traversing our picturesque university town during my first months here was nothing short of liberating. I finally lived in a place where I could reach desired destinations by bus, bike and foot. Meeting friends was an easy task; they lived in dorm rooms only feet away. It seemed like Chapel Hill’s proximity was endless, and that this place was flawless.
But like any fledgling urban place in this re-urbanizing state, this town has serious shortcomings. Chief among them is the question of access and affordability, a topic usually associated with college admissions in this newspaper.
The Northside neighborhood, once a community of UNC’s Black working class employees, is now full of student rentals. This is incredibly frustrating for long-term residents, who have seen their neighborhood transformed from a cohesive community to a disjointed collection of short-sighted renters. Gentrification is an ugly reality in the Southern Part of Heaven.
Last year, the University stepped in to help. UNC gave a $3 million no-interest loan to the Self-Help Credit Union to acquire more properties for inclusive development. But it has failed to consider the root cause of student rental-induced gentrification. On-campus housing is inconvenient, expensive and restricting. Self-interested students would rather live elsewhere.
I jumped at the opportunity to move off campus last fall. For me, the conveniences of off-campus living far outweigh current on-campus options. I cook my own meals, don’t have to check in with an RA and separate my work from my sanctuary. The way our on-campus housing is configured now, replicating this lifestyle is impossible. One solution is merely requiring sophomores to remain in on-campus housing. But by doing so UNC risks creating student animosity.
There is an alternative that can prevent further student-induced gentrification. UNC’s housing authority should pursue partnerships with the town and private landowners to develop underutilized properties as cooperative housing. This would give independently-minded students more robust options while controlling the negative externalities off-campus living creates. It would also increase tenants’ incentive to contribute to their communities.
In 2015, I visited the city of Freiburg, Germany. There, university students live in housing cooperatives and enjoy the freedom and low cost this lifestyle creates. Bianca, a student I interviewed, pointed out that she was surrounded by young children, adults and senior citizens in the neighborhood where she lived. If Chapel Hill wants its student residents to be good neighbors, we need to foster positive interaction and more constructive ways to live together.
