Ramos, Photo Essay

 

University Boulevard East

Link to Slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1g4mGapDO3O3Mnb41YhT7l4vmnEnyBod21bEdhZRsL2E/edit?usp=sharing

The intersection of University Boulevard and Adelphi Road marks the end of the eastern corner of the University of Maryland. University Boulevard, though, isn’t limited to the area around campus; the roadway is one half of Maryland Route 193 and runs for approximately 26 miles through Montgomery and Prince George’s County.

A portion of University Boulevard is the site of the incoming Purple Line, a new 21-station metro further connecting the two counties. The Purple Line will run through approximately three and a half miles of University Boulevard East – a section of the road close to UMD that bears little resemblance to the pristine campus. Instead, it embodies a personality all its own – diverse, urban and always moving.

Ripped signs advertising the imminent metro flutter in the wind, small construction teams work on segments of the rail and construction sites on every corner look almost deserted and unfinished.

Construction has completely taken over the stretch of University Boulevard East, encompassing Adelphi, Langley Park, Chillum and Takoma Park. It has obstructed entrances into apartment complexes along the road and backed up traffic near active work areas. Impacted residents and businesses are concerned about pedestrian safety. Officials from the Purple Line discussed the development of “safety messaging” in a community engagement meeting that the construction project hosts biannually.

Pedestrian safety is not the only long-term concern for University Boulevard East. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s Land Line Magazine published an article in 2023 discussing efforts to preserve affordable housing along the Purple Line Corridor. The unintended consequence of new transit systems, writes Jon Gorey, is an increase in property value and rent that forces out residents who can’t withstand higher prices.

The community around University Boulevard East shows signs of poverty in subtle ways. Octapharma Lab is located on the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard East in Langley Park Plaza. Octapharma Lab is a plasma center where anyone looking to make relatively quick money can donate plasma.

An article from the Journal of Sociology and Welfare found that urban areas with a high percentage of the population Black, Hispanic or in poverty have a greater probability of hosting a plasma center. In Langley Park, 28.2% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to Census Reporter. That’s more than double the rate in Maryland and the DMV metropolitan area.

According to Census Reporter, the combined population average of the four suburban neighborhoods straddling University Boulevard East is close to 50% Hispanic. Evidence of Hispanic communities is apparent all along University Boulevard East, such as street vendors selling tropical fruits, signs posted completely in Spanish and a plethora of Central American restaurants.

Pedro Fernandez, a modest elderly man who only speaks Spanish, lives in a small room in a house whose yard proudly displays flags from Italy and Guatemala. He’s lived there since his wife died eight years ago.

Walking down the street doesn’t feel particularly unsafe, nor any less safe than downtown streets in Washington, D.C. The website Crime Grade gives a combined crime rate of 26 per 1,000 residents for the four neighborhoods. The areas of Langley Park that intersect with University Boulevard East, however, show bright red on their online map, indicating high crime.

It’s helpful to speak Spanish. People loosen up when you greet them in their native tongue, such as the man who smiled and asked me to snap a photo of him after we spoke in Spanish. Most people walking along University Boulevard East are just going about their day – selling flowers on the corner, chatting with a street food vendor, walking back from the grocery store or waiting for the bus.