[MassHistPres] FW: Sociological Effects of Highway Relocation within a Historic Neighborhood

[Wilson, Linda]

I am posting this message at the request of Joyce McKay, Cultural
Resource Manager for the NH Department of Transportation.  NH DOT and
the NH Division of Historical Resources/SHPO would welcome your
perspectives and comments, links to comparable studies, and any
experience you have had with similar situations that may be relevant and
helpful.

We apologize for the long message, but the situation is very complicated
and sound bites just can't describe it accurately.

The Sociological Effects of Highway Relocation within the Berlin Heights
Neighborhood, Berlin, NH

The NHDOT is assessing the effects of the alternatives for the
relocation of NH Route 110.  The existing route winds through narrow
residential streets.  The route travels through what has historically
been a long-established, cohesive neighborhood on the west edge of
Berlin, NH, and west of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad.   The
project area is contained within a considerably larger National
Register-eligible historic district, composed of single dwellings and
multi-family "tenement housing."  The neighborhood was settled between
1892, when the addition was platted, and the 1930.  The Berlin Heights
Addition is historically an example of speculative development; the land
was not under mill ownership.  Residents came from multiple ethnic
backgrounds to work in the Berlin pulp mills and in service-related
industries.  Residentially, the ethnic groups are mixed across the
neighborhood but they associated through various social networks.

State Route 110 is also a truck route.  One alternative, (Alternative
#2) follows the route's approximate historic location through the
neighborhood, requiring the removal of approximately 12 buildings.  A
second alternative (Alternative #4E) consolidates transportation
corridors (truck route and railroad corridors) and travels within but
along the edge of this neighborhood, taking approximately 28 buildings.
This count does not include visual impacts on adjacent buildings.  Both
alternatives are within the historic district.

The NHDOT needs to examine the social effects on the neighborhood of
moving a truck route/state highway from the center of the neighborhood
to its edge vs. the effects of making improvements at its approximate
current location, both within the historic district.  In addition to
understanding the question of whether the two alternatives target
specific groups unfairly, it would need to qualitatively examine the
social ramifications of such a project.  What does each alternative do
to the neighborhood's cohesiveness, looking at such factors as ethnic
and religious groups, work-based groups, voluntary organizations, and
informal / kin based connections?  The significance of the residential
district is based in part on the existence of these social networks and
the ways the buildings in the district express them.  What happens to
the families, the neighborhood, and the historic district when we move
about 12 households as opposed to approximately 28?  What are the
effects of this kind of demolition on social networking?  What about the
potential displacement of residents not only in the demolished buildings
but also in the adjacent neighborhood?  Would the exit of impacted
residents impact remaining houses in the district more in one
alternative or the other?  Is the truck traffic, which has historically
gone through the neighborhood, slowly disrupting existing networks?  The
study is more than a counting exercise; it is gaining the understanding
of neighborhood dynamics/relationships within this historically defined
area.  The comparison of this project with others in which truck/state
routes have been relocated is a critical element in understanding the
potential impact of the NH Route 110 project alternatives on the
adjacent neighborhood.

The above describes the type of study necessary to grain a better
understanding of the sociological effects of the proposed project.  

What type of expertise has been brought to this issue, for example urban
planners, social anthropologists, or sociologists?  Have studies of
comparable transportation projects (i.e. moving a state route from the
center of the community to its edge within the same historic district)
with data addressing the actual impacts after construction been
completed elsewhere, and are they available?

What other questions should be addressed?

S:\PROJECTS\DESIGN\12958\12958B\cultural\Sociological Effects.doc



Linda Ray Wilson
NH Division of Historical Resources
19 Pillsbury Street
Concord NH  03301-3570
T 603-271-6434
F 603-271-3433
linda.wilson at dcr.nh.gov
http://www.nh.gov/nhdhr