Help Triangle leaders plan for growth

Research Triangle Park, N.C. — The Triangle’s appeal as a place to live and work is evident in our growing population. One million new residents are expected to arrive by 2030. How do we balance their needs with the quality of life that draws people every day?

Reality Check is a process that engages leaders from around the region in discussions about growth and how to compete in a global economy.

On Feb. 24, 2009, 300 people will gather for a half-day visioning exercise that allows participants working in diverse groups to discuss and make suggestions about where housing and jobs should locate around our region over the next 25 years.

The results of their efforts will be presented at the summit to a larger group of about 1,000 interested stakeholders on the morning of Feb. 27, 2009. Those results will be used to kick off a long-range planning and implementation process designed to help leaders and residents envision alternative growth scenarios.

Do you want to contribute your ideas for the future of the region?

Register for Reality Check by Oct. 15.

Workshops will be held ahead of the exercise to give the participants a better understanding of how the exercise will work, and of economic and demographic trends, infrastructure needs and other growth issues and challenges in our region.

The Reality Check exercise is a program of the Urban Land Institute. In the Triangle region, the process is a joint initiative of Triangle Tomorrow and the Triangle District Council of ULI. The co-chairs of the Research Triangle Regional Reality Check are:

• Fred Day , retired President and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas
• John J. Healy, Jr ., Principal, Hyde Street Holdings, LLC
• Rick Weddle , President and CEO of The Research Triangle Park
• Dr. Phail Wynn Jr. , Vice President of Durham and Regional Affairs for Duke University