Uneven Development: Oshkosh, WI
What is uneven development? Uneven development is the persistent differences in levels and rates of economic development between different sectors of the economy. The City of Oshkosh has various areas where uneven development is prevalent. One area we focused our fieldwork on was the downtown area (Main Street) and the routes leading to Main Street. We decided to study this area because there are routes that lead to downtown that run through UW-Oshkosh and from Highway 41. We wanted to explore the road conditions and infrastructure development along these paths that lead to Main Street because the development downtown in Oshkosh is socially, economically and environmentally expanding.
While conducting field work within Oshkosh, we found that the downtown area and Main Street had areas that were affluent. As we explored Main street we found the front of businesses to be well kept and newly remodeled. The roadways are in great condition and the sidewalks are well maintained. The area has a lot of money being contributed towards the infrastructure and the maintenance. This reflects the local economy’s success and how they are able to keep attracting customers in order to maintain the infrastructure. The roadways leading into the City of Oshkosh are well paved and there are minimal potholes due to the entrance of tourists and college students. All of the major roads leading to Main street and to the university are phenomenal compared to the residential roads around campus where the majority of the houses are occupied by students. There is a great deal of money being distributed for road maintenance and the surrounding economic status depicts this distribution. One example from our field work is a photo we captured on the corner of East Irving Ave and Jefferson Street, we discovered an old garage that is in decent shape with a greatly maintained road due to the convenience being very close the downtown area and Main Street. This shows this area is being funded very well and maintained to attract tourists downtown and make Main Street accessible. The photo of the white garage was taken on the corner of East Irving Ave and Jefferson Street The first consequence of uneven development we noticed as a group was the declining road and sidewalk quality. Road and sidewalk quality is one of the best pieces of evidence as to where uneven development is taking place. Unless a road is really, really bad, or poses a threat to those using it, there is almost no reason as to why it needs to be completely repaved other than for aesthetic reasons. However, we noticed specific examples where road quality differed greatly. On Jefferson Street, near the intersection with Irving Ave, just a few blocks east of campus and just one block east of Main Street, we first started to notice the declining road and sidewalk quality. The image just below was taken on Jefferson street. The City of Oshkosh acknowledges the road quality to be poor, stating "Priority 2 Areas includes a significant portion of the City’s central area including portions of Winnebago County Census Tract 2... The median value of owner-occupied units ranges from 4% to 28% lower than the City’s overall median value of $85,500. Most of the streets in this area are in need of major road repair.” The fact that the city recognizes the problem and sees the need to fix it further indicates the spread of uneven development in Oshkosh, and specifically in the area we studied.
There were a few aspects that separated the roads and sidewalks based on quality. First of all, around main street and other business heavy areas in Winnebago County Census Tract 5, we noticed that the road and sidewalk quality was much better in general. The sidewalks and roads all seemed recently paved, and were generally much more appealing than the other roads. Compared to broken, dark roads, the roads here seemed pristine and glowed in the sun. Along with that, the roads and sidewalks here were wider, allowing for a generally more pleasant walk or drive. Here, people don’t need to drive as slowly and carefully to avoid parked cars. Faster traffic here most likely helps increase business; if anything, it certainly won’t hinder it.
On the other hand, there were many instances in which the sidewalks on Jefferson Street and Oxford Avenue were crumbling and cracking and can be dangerous for pedestrians using them. Sidewalks were often seen broken when sloping to connect to the street, and cracks were found around these areas as well. In some areas, the grass between the sidewalk and street was damaged by vehicles, with no apparent effort to fix them up. The picture below, taken on Jefferson Street, illustrates our point.The lack of interest in repairing and improving public infrastructure in this area also indicate the non-funded aspect of uneven development.
At first, we were unsure as to why the road quality, and overall quality of the area as a whole, was noticeably worse, despite main street being just one street over. Upon further walking, we noticed that there were no shops with front entrances on that street. During our time spent on Jefferson street, we noticed that hardly anyone else was there. No shoppers, no college students, not even a property owner was seen walking to or from their lot. We went as far south as Merritt Ave and as far north as W New York Ave. The lack of interest in these areas by entrepreneurs and citizens alike is likely the cause of uneven development in these areas. Why would the city put money into areas that see such little traffic by tourists and those living within the city?
Another consequence of uneven development we noticed were the vacant lots that were spread throughout census tract 2. This adds further evidence to the idea that Oshkosh, as well as private investors, put money into places with areas of high traffic and greater potential revenue. Empty lots are a sign of a lack of interest - the lot in this picture below, located on Jefferson Street, is clearly very overrun with weeds, and it seems like no further work was done on it after the demolition and removal of whatever building was standing there.
Vacant lots in areas with low property taxes might seem like a good place to open up a business; lower starting costs due to cheaper land and lower taxes in the long run seem like a great place to start a business. Vacant lots, and their absence in Winnebago County Census Tract 5, help to illustrate and highlight specific areas involved in the opposite spectrums that are apart of uneven development. Vacant lots indicate a disinterest in the areas that they are located. While they may just be a coincidence, lots left for longer periods of time likely indicate no developer interest the area. This quote, found in a book with research done on uneven development across many cities, states that “Vacant lots are points of blight that can undermine the social fabric of neighborhoods. They contribute to crime and render neighborhoods unattractive, unhealthy, and unsafe for residents, particularly families with children, and they contribute to further disinvestment as they discourage maintenance of the existing housing stock.” This quote sums up perfectly how the vacant lots solicit and indicate uneven development, and shown below is an example of one of these vacant lots, taken at 887 Jefferson St. The two images below this were taken at 1028 E Parkway Ave, on opposite sides of the road.

While researching the City of Oshkosh for areas of uneven development we focused on the downtown area and the routes leading to it. We decided to look at the economic breakdown of Winnebago County and the surrounding areas where we conducted fieldwork. Winnebago County Census Tract 2 and 5 were the areas where we decided to research. From our fieldwork we found that Jefferson Street was the border for Winnebago County Census Tracts 2 and 5. As we looked at Winnebago County Census Tract 2 we found the houses in this area to be very well maintained and larger in size compared to Winnebago County Census Tract 5 where the majority of the houses were rundown and students occupied this housing.
The quality of housing shows how uneven development is detrimental to the social welfare of the city. The differences in housing show the economical background of the community and where areas of higher interest are located. Businesses are more likely to be located in areas where consumers have larger disposable incomes, and cities give small businesses certain monetary benefits to help encourage businesses in that area. Subsequently, housing helps illustrate this as better houses generally mean areas of higher income, or areas businesses are likely to be. We noticed that the houses around the Main Street area in particular were better maintained, whereas houses east of Jefferson Street were rundown. The houses were very dirty and had paint chipping off of the sides.
The differences are related to the amount of money being exerted on maintenance and general housekeeping procedures of the homeowners. In the above image, found near E Irving Ave and Evans St, we see gravel driveways, chipping paint and generally smaller houses. Homeowners who take care of their property and put money into its upkeep are likely generating more tax revenue for the city. The city is likely to put money into regular upkeep of certain areas to entice property owners and renters to stay there, as opposed to regular upkeep of the entire city to please all. It is more efficient to keep a select area that generates more income in better shape than to spread that money out through the entirety of the city, to places where the investment has less impact. More money put into the upkeep of these areas raises the property value, making for a greater return, or smaller lost, on the city's investment.
Throughout our fieldwork we have concluded that Oshkosh has various locations of uneven development. We have photographed signs of uneven development and the consequences of declining road and sidewalk quality, vacant lots, and differences in the quality of housing. We focused mainly on the Main Street area, east and west of Main Street and Jefferson Street, however uneven development is prevalent throughout Oshkosh and cities across the globe. After looking at and analyzing the pictures we took and used, we were able to determine the area that received more funding than its neighbors. Specifically, for Winnebago County Census Tract 5 within 3 block radius of Main Street. Just east of Jefferson Street, the beginning of Winnebago County Census Tract 2, was where we noticed a lower quality of public infrastructure. The pictures we took help show the point we are trying to make. All in all, certain areas of Oshkosh are seeing greater amounts of public funding, wheres other areas of lower importance are seen much lower amounts.

Sources
"Selected Economic Characteristics-Winnebago County Census Tract 5." American FactFinder. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
"Selected Economic Characteristics-Winnebago County Census Tract 2." American FactFinder. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
"Uneven Development." The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. N.p., n.d. Web.
Birch, Eugenie Ladner., and Susan M. Wachter. Growing Greener Cities: Urban Sustainability in the Twenty-first Century. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania, 2008. Print.
Vision Oshkosh. Belle Mead, NJ: A. Nelessen Associates, 2009. Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. City of Oshkosh, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.