Are North Carolina Cities Sustainable? Samuel R. Staley, Ph.D. Director, Urban and Land Use Policy Reason Foundation (e) Innovate 2005, John Locke Foundation, Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, February 16-17, 2005

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation Why Are We Here? RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute Does Growth Threaten North Carolina’s Future? 1.Understand growth in North Carolina 2.Examine “Sustainability” and Smart Growth, and their implications for North Carolina 3.Discuss the implications for growth management in North Carolina cities and metropolitan areas

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute North Carolina’s Growth is Metropolitan Growth

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute Growth is Concentrated in Two Metropolitan Areas

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute North Carolina City’s Have Suburban Densities

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute Is This Sustainable? zDefinitions: o “Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” United Nation’s World Commission on Environment and Development. o “Sustainable Development links the environment, economy, and social equity into policies and practices that benefit both present and future generations,” consensus definition from Finding Common Ground: Toward a Sustainable North Carolina conference sponsored by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Environmental Resource Program, zReality: yConservation—consuming less zMarkets v. prices

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation North Carolina Smart Growth zDefinitions : ySmart Growth is “an approach that seeks to direct development in ways to preserve an area’s livability and natural resources, while providing for economic opportunity and making maximal use of existing infrastructure.” North Carolina, Commission on Smart Growth: Growth Management and Development: Findings and Recommendations, Fall 2001, P. 16. Is is process? y“The Goal is not to limit growth, but to channel it to areas where infrastructure allows growth to be sustained over the long term.” NC Commission on Smart Growth, p. 15. RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance (+Sam’s short hand) 1.Mix-use activity centers (avoid single family detached housing) 2.Appropriate pattern of development (high density) 3.Green space (greenbelts) 4.Walkable communities (1/4 mile radius) 5.Integrated transportation (transit) 6.Enhanced civic realm (public parks) 7.Affordable living (apartments) 8.Shared benefits (???) 9.Community collaboration (regional planning) 10.Fairness in approving development (central land use planning

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute What is Sustaining North Carolina’s Population Growth zSound Business Climate zHigh Quality of Life zHousing Affordability zEfficient Transportation Average Work Trip Travel (in minutes—one way) Metro areaAutomobileTransit Ashville Charlotte Raleigh- Durham Wilmington U.S. Metro average Source:

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute Is North Carolina Smart Growth Sustainable? zTransit Centered zRegional Land-Use Planning yIncrease density yReduce automobile use yIncrease mixed-use, urban centers zFatal Flaws yWhy are people moving to North Carolina? yIs Charlotte going to be more attractive in 2025? yWhere are the Consumers

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute Toward Real Sustainable Development zA fundamental contradiction exists between sustainable development in an urban context v. sustainable development in an environmental context zUrban sustainability depends critically on People ySafety yFinancial opportunity yAffordability/increased standard of living yIntellectual advancement and achievement are rewarded

February 16-17, 2005John Locke Foundation “In short, it does not take great insight today to see that, however, inadequate the market may be, there is no reason to suppose that urban planners will necessarily do a better job, at least in the short run or intermediate term. This reality of the inadequacy of planners and their tools offsets the other reality of the inadequacies of the market and price mechanism.” --Lloyd Rodwin, Cities and City Planning (New York: Plenum Press, 1981), p RPPI Reason Public Policy Institute