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Near-Time :Home [Reality Check) <br />Reality Check -One Page Summary <br />ay NT Community Manager <br />Page 1 of 2 <br />RESEARCH TRIARIGLE REGIONAL REALITYCHECK: <br />KEEPING OUR FUTURE BRIGHT WITH REGIONAL PLANNINGAND VISIONING <br />WHY DO WE NEED A REALITY CHECK? <br />Two reasons: to grow well and to remain competitive in a global ecenomy. The Research Triangle region is growing and will <br />continue to grow well into the future. A generation ago, in 1970, the region was home b~ 763,254 people. Today, it holds 2.03 <br />million people, and in. 2030, the region is projected to be the home of over 3.2 million people -larger than present-day Charlotte, <br />San Antonio, Orlando or New Orleans regions. This growth makes sound planning imperative, particularly in the areas of local land <br />use dedsions, livability and environmental sustainability. <br />Also, regional cooperation has emerged as a key to success in rnmpeting on the work! stage. According to the Urban Land <br />Institute, "those regions with a dear plan for how they are going to grow, a plan that has broad-based support from the private, <br />nonprofit and public sectors, will have a key competitive advantage:' Rea/fty Check will allow the Triangle area to use regional <br />visioning as a dynamic and important tool for building consensus related to growth issues. <br />WHAT IS REALITY CHECK? <br />Reality Check is a process that engages leaders from around the region in discussions about growth and how to compete in a <br />global economy. The actual event is a half-day visioning exercise that allows particpants working in diverse groups to discuss and <br />make suggesstions about where housing and jobs should locate around our region over the next 25 years. <br />The Rea/ityCheck exercise is a program of the Urban Land Institute. In the Triangle region, tl~ process is a joint initiative of <br />Triangle Tomorrow and the Triangle District Council of ULI. The co-chairs of the Research Triangle Regional Reality Check are: <br />Fred Day ,retired President and CEO ~ Progress Energy Carolinas <br />. John ). Healy, Jr ., Principal, Hyde Street Hoklings, LLC <br />• Ride Weddle ,President and CEO of The Research Triangle Park <br />• Dr. Phaii Wynn 3r. ,Vice President of Durtwm and Regional Affairs for Duke University <br />The Steering Committee also includes chairs of various Reality Check committees, and representatives from the boards of Triangle <br />Tomorrow and the Triangle District Coundl of ULI. <br />About 300 participants will be invited to the half-day Rea/ityCheckexerdse, which will be held on February 24, 2009. Results will <br />be presented at the summit to a larger group of about 1,000 interested stakeholders ~ the morning of February 27, 2009. <br />Workshops will be held ahead of the exercise to give the partidpants a better understanding of how the exercise will work, and of <br />economic and demographic trends, infrastrudure needs and other growth issues and chal~nges in our region. <br />WHAT HAPPENS AFTERWARD? <br />The results of the exercise will be used to kids off along-range planning and implementation process designed to help leaders and <br />residents envision alternative growth scenarios. <br />7utie Paul is no longer with the project. <br />For more information, please contact Pam Wail, Executive Director, Triangle Tomorrow <br />Office. 919-840-7372, ext 24 <br />Ceti. 919-457-6750 <br />http://www.realitycheck2009.org/r~viki/print/reality-check-one-page-summary7autoprint=true 8/4/2009 <br />