Triangle Reality Check

In February 2009, 300 civic leaders from the greater Triangle area participated in a growth planning exercise to create a vision for how our region will grow over the next 25 years. The Reality Check exercise and subsequent Results Summit were a collaborative effort of Triangle Tomorrow and the Urban Land Institute of the Triangle.

Participants of Reality Check reached consensus on three guiding principles that should be used to plan for quality, sustainable growth in the Triangle region:

  • Transit - improve regional transit and match land use decisions with transit investments
  • Vibrant Centers - reinvest in city and town centers, and promote compact development, density, and mixed use
  • Green Space - define appropriate growth and preservation areas to protect open space, agricultural land, and natural resources -- especially water supply and quality

To ensure the collective vision and guiding principles help shape future growth, Triangle Tomorrow formed the Reality Check Action Committee to lead implementation. Task forces were formed around each guiding principle, and they immediately set to work identifying barriers, finding solutions, and gathering input and support for the vision. By fall 2009:

  • The Action Committee was meeting with city and county governments and others, asking them to adopt, endorse or support the Guiding Principles for Quality Growth.
  • The Transit Task Force had used the consensus on improved transit to garner support for HB 148 and will continue to work on transit initiatives with transit leadership.
  • The Vibrant Centers Task Force was working to promote vibrant centers through education about compact development, walkable communities, and mixed use development that balances jobs and housing.
  • The Green Space Task Force had convened representatives from the 15-county region to expand and update our GreenPrint.

Our region has choices to make about traffic, air quality, housing affordability, open space, and other important growth-related issues. Our values will guide our choices, shaping the future of our region. What do YOU value about the Triangle, and what choices would YOU make to ensure those values endure?

Green Space  Vibrant City CenterTransit Station