Designing a 21st-Century City: Historic Preservation and the Raleigh of Tomorrow, June 2014

PlaceEconomics

From introduction: "After years of steady growth, Raleigh is receiving significant national attention. In the last year alone, Raleigh has been recognized as the second fastest-growing city (Forbes), the best city for new college graduates (Rent.com), and the second-best place to start a business in the U.S. (National Federation of Independent Business). Things are happening in Raleigh, and other communities are paying attention. This creates opportunities for Raleigh to be a national model in planning as well. The City’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2009 and last amended in early 2014, focuses on increasing density and bringing jobs back downtown, after decades of hot development and population growth outside the urban core. Historic resources and preservation efforts have contributed to Raleigh’s success as a growing metropolis. From the green squares of the early capital city to streetcar suburbs to modernist neighborhoods, historic fabric helps to make Raleigh a distinctive city for living, working, and playing. This historic fabric remains essential as Raleigh looks to reshape itself as a 21st century city, and the comprehensive plan acknowledges with a chapter on preservation. The plan recognizes that Raleigh’s historic assets reinforce historic and cultural identity and economic development, and outlines policy actions accordingly. This study takes the analysis a step further to look at how historic preservation contributes to the overall quality of life in Raleigh—and how it can help lay the groundwork for an innovative, sustainable, and equitable future. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan was adopted after months of broad public participation and input from every sector of the Raleigh community. The plan established six vision themes to serve as goals for the city’s future: Economic prosperity and equity; Expanding housing choices; Managing growth; Coordinating land use and transportation; Greenprint Raleigh – sustainable development; Growing successful neighborhoods and communities. This report uses these themes as a framework to explore how historic neighborhoods contribute to the city’s broader goals. It utilizes a wide range of indicators to quantify how Raleigh’s historic buildings and districts help to achieve each theme: from jobs and businesses to diverse, affordable housing options to sustainable development to compact, walkable neighborhoods. The data that is presented under each vision theme demonstrates that historic neighborhoods have benefits far beyond architectural character and local history: they have the potential to be central in the strategy for Raleigh becoming a thriving, equitable 21st-century city." Funding was provided in part by a 2013 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of Raleigh (project number NC-13-017) administered by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (grant number P13AF00046) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Raleigh, North Carolina is a Certified Local Government.

Designing a 21st-Century City: Historic Preservation and the Raleigh of Tomorrow, June 2014

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