Triangle Reality Check 2009

On February 24, 2009, a group of 300 political, business, environmental, and civic leaders came together to create a vision for growth in the Triangle Region for the next 25 years.  The challenge: where will the additional 1.2 million people and thousands of new jobs go?  Working in small groups with string, legos, and a map, workshop participants discussed issues, balanced needs, and developed scenarios that would ensure our region grows well and remains competitive in the coming decades.  Participants created 3-D models of where housing and jobs should be located, laid out plans for transit systems and new roads, and indicated where to protect open space and water resources.  The major themes that emerged from the visioning effort were 1) Providing a regional transit system, 2) Creating mixed-use development, 3) Protecting drinking water and open space, and 4) Reinvesting in our urban areas. Reality Check sees regional cooperation as critical for building consensus around growth issues and ensuring a long-range vision that accounts for the diverse values and interests of our community. Results of the visioning exercise were presented to interested stakeholders on February 27.  Through a series of skits, a keynote speaker, and live data technology, this summit combined levity, information, examples, and immediate feedback to the audience that generated energy and excitement for quality growth planning in the Triangle. Reality Check is a program of the Urban Land Institute.  The Triangle Regional Reality Check was a collaboration of the Urban Land Institute Triangle and Triangle Tomorrow.  The results of the exercise will be used to launch a long-range planning and implementation process to help local leaders and residents envision alternative growth scenarios for our region. More information is available at: http://www.realitycheck2009.org/wiki