Durham Open Space and Trails Commission (DOST)

Advocating outdoor recreation opportunities for Durham residents since 1983


DOST website

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So why care about open space and trails in Durham?   Here are some good reasons.

Reasons to care about OPEN SPACE in Durham County:

  • Having more urban open space will preserve tree cover and reduce impervious surfaces, which are far more common in lower-income areas of Durham.

  • Reducing impervious surfaces will improve the quality of stormwater runoff, and having more trees and vegetation in urban areas will also mitigate heat, ozone and air quality issues.

  • A master plan would catalog potential areas for open space preservation in the city.

    • Reasons to care about TRAILS in Durham County:

  • According to a 2002 survey of recent homebuyers by the National Association of Home Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders, trails ranked as the second most important amenity out of a list of 18 choices, outranking ball fields and golf courses (Consumer's Survey on Smart Choices for Home Buyers).

  • In the Parks & Recreation section of the 2007 Durham Citizen Satisfaction Survey (ETC Institute, Feb 2008, pg. 43), trails and greenways were ranked second only to parks as the item that should receive the most emphasis from city leaders over the next two years (ranked ahead of playgrounds, athletic fields, recreation centers and swimming pools).

  • Adults should exercise 30 minutes every day (children, 60). Having more places to walk and bike will help Durham maintain its status as a fit community and combat the growing obesity epidemic.

  • Two-thirds of all trips we make are for a distance of 5 miles or less. Having an interconnected set of trails will give residents a chance to leave their autos in the driveway and bike or walk to their destination. This will reduce greenhouse gases and assist with implementation of the Durham Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Local Action Plan.

  • Trails within greenways help protect and link fragmented habitat. The multitude of plants in greenways help improve air quality and the natural buffer it creates improve water quality.

  • Extending the W. Ellerbe Creek will allow people who live in several neighborhoods to more easily and safely bike, hike or walk to Museum of Life and Science, to the West Point on Eno, N. Point Shopping area and connect to many other parts of Durham.

  • Extending the Pearsontown Trail will have similar transportation benefits, and will also serve to link NCCU with the Hayti Heritage Center.

  • Extending the Sandy Creek Trail will create a safe bike/ped link from west Durham neighborhoods to the trails of Duke University and its campus.

  • The Lower Warren Creek Trail will complete a long awaited section that will link the northern terminus of the N/S Greenway with West Point on the Eno Park.

  • Design funding was requested last year for the Pearsontown and W. Ellerbee Creek extensions, but did not make it into the budget. Having designs for these will clarify the overall cost of the projects.

  • The corridors for the Pearsontown and W. Ellerbee Creek extensions have already been acquired.

  • Table 10-1 of the Durham Comprehensive Plan also displays target level of service standards for park/rec facilities. There is supposed to be 0.4 miles of trail for every 1000 residents. With a current population of 209,000 residents, that should be 84 miles. Currently there are only about 17 miles of built trail.

  • Chapter 10 of the Durham Comprehensive Plan states that the city shall continue its development of the trails/greenway system to provide for a comprehensive system of corridors throughout Durham. The trails system shall link residential areas, schools, parks, institutions, shopping centers and other greenways.

  • At festivals, we are constantly asked about expansion of the trails system and when it will happen.


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