FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pam Wall
(919) 281-2743
November 1, 2007

TRIANGLE TOMORROW ANNOUNCES INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS GROWTH

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK -- Today, Triangle Tomorrow and the Triangle District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) announced a new initiative to address the reality of growth projected for our region. 

Over the course of the next year, using the Urban Land Institute methodology Reality Check, Triangle Tomorrow will assemble a wide range of stakeholders and constituents to help evaluate and review strategies the region should consider to accommodate its economic success and growth.  The announcement was made at a ULI Triangle District Council program, featuring keynote speaker, Tom Murphy, ULI Fellow and former Pittsburgh Mayor.

In the fall of 2008, hundreds of elected officials, business leaders and civic and non-profit organizations will be invited to a one half day planning exercise designed to analyze and develop alternative growth scenarios for our rapidly growing region.  Managed well, continued growth will be a boon for our region.  If managed poorly, we could see housing prices spike, traffic worsen and open space disappear.

Roger Perry, Chairman of Triangle Tomorrow, announced that this initiative will be led by three co-chairs:

• Fred Day, recently retired President and CEO of Progress Energy,
• Rick Weddle, President and CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina
• Dr. Phail Wynn, President, Durham Technical Community College. 
  

“Reality Check Triangle is an important opportunity for Triangle citizens working together to craft consensus on how a region should address how it will grow; which areas should be protected and where inevitable new growth should develop,” said Mr. Perry. 

John Healy, Chairman of the ULI Triangle District Council added, “Addressing growth challenges and opportunities will benefit our economic well-being and quality of life.”

Reality Check leadership encourage a diverse group of stakeholders to become involved, including environmental, business, civic, government and academic institutions.  The priority is to be regionally inclusive, from the grass roots to the grass tops.  Citizens and organizations are asked to contact Triangle Tomorrow to become involved in the initiative.

Triangle Tomorrow, a program of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, works closely with business and community leaders to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness of the 13-country Triangle region.

ULI’s mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.

For more information, Triangle Tomorrow Executive Director Pam Wall, (919) 281-2743 or pwall@triangletomorrow.org.
 

# # #