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Speaking Up for a Better Tomorrow
You can help us educate our community, convene Wake County citizens, and advocate for a better future.
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Vision
WakeUP envisions a future in which all residents share the benefits of Wake County’s growth, with equitable, resilient, and healthy communities centered around housing choices, multimodal transit options, and economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability.
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Housing Choices
We apply dependable research and effective best practices to promote housing diversity and affordability.
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Multimodal Transportation
We engage with Wake County municipalities and organizations to advocate for local and regional multimodal transportation choices and connected communities.
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Environmental Stewardship
We campaign for policies promoting regional water quality, natural landscapes, and sustainable land use.
Our Mission
WakeUP Wake County promotes sustainable, healthy communities and equitable planning through education, civic engagement, and advocacy.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Community Workshop—November 12 from 5:30–7:30 pm
John Chavis Memorial Park Reception Hall
505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27601
This workshop provides you with the opportunity to meet with architects and builders and hear a presentation about ADUs that will be given multiple times throughout the evening. The event is FREE, kid-friendly, and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. Thank you to BLWall Consulting for support of this community workshop!
Get Tickets
Community ADU Tour—November 14 from 1–3 pm
Walk Your Plans Raleigh
517 W. Cabarrus St., Suite A, Raleigh, NC 27603
With support from BLWall Consulting, WakeUP Wake County is hosting this drop-in event. Community members will be able to walk through various ADU floor plans and hear from multiple housing-focused organizations. This event is FREE and open to the public; refreshments will be provided!
Get Tickets
YIMBYtown
November 17–19
The largest pro-housing conference in the country, YIMBYtown will bring together 1,000+ pro-homes advocates, experts, and leaders. This year it is being hosted in Raleigh!
Locations for sessions and other events include:
Raleigh Convention Center
Junction West
The Rialto Theatre
Hosted by CITYBUILDER, YIMBYtown is presented in collaboration with WakeUP Wake County and other organizations.
Annual Reception: Planning for an Affordable Region—December 3, 2026
Make plans now to attend the Annual Reception coordinated by WakeUP Wake County, RaleighForward, and CITYBUILDER. As in the past, this is a gathering of friends who share a vision of a sustainable and equitable region. The event will be held from 5:30 – 7.30 pm at Junction West in downtown Raleigh. Our keynote speaker is Shane Phillips, author of The Affordable City: Strategies for Putting Housing Within Reach (and Keeping it There).
Join us for socializing over heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and refreshments from the bar, followed by Shane’s presentation on housing policy and the most effective strategies for improving affordability and household stability in urban environments.
Strategic Plan
A task force comprised of Tom Barrie, Bert Fox, and Rodney Swink guided the development of the current WakeUP Wake County Strategic Plan. During 2024, they worked closely with the full board, including work sessions at a board retreat, to develop the final plan. The board adopted the plan on January 25, 2025, and WakeUP leadership will assess it annually.
Organization News
Meet Dean Rains, New WakeUP Board Member
Dean Rains is a Principal and Project Manager at LS3P with three decades of experience shaping the spaces where we live, work, and play. Since […]
Martha Eberle Joins WakeUP Board
Martha Eberle is a Senior Landscape Architect with Biohabitats’ Southeast Atlantic Bioregion Office in Raleigh, NC. She has more than 20 years of experience in […]
Help Us Welcome Dwight Otwell as a Board Member
Dwight Otwell earned a BS in Forest Management and an MS in Natural Resource Management from NCSU and currently works as a Goespatial Program Leader […]
Meet New Board Member Eric Lamb
Eric Lamb is a plangineer with STV, Inc. with more than 30 years of experience in the management and development of transportation projects and programs. […]
WakeUP Wake County in the News!
News and Observer Opinion Editor Ned Barnett interviewed WakeUP Wake County Executive Director Bert Fox, WakeUP Wake County Board Chair Tom Barrie, and RaleighForward Executive […]
David Meeker Joins WUWC
David is founder and Managing Partner of Carpenter Development and partnered with Trophy Brewing in 2008. He is on the Board of the Downtown Raleigh […]
New Board Member Eric Braun
Eric is an attorney and the founder/Executive Director of RaleighForward. Prior to retiring in 2010, his law practice focused on land use regulation, zoning, litigation, […]
Past Events
We partner with the following organizations:
RaleighForward | CityBuilder | Welcoming Neighbors Network
Our programs are driven by the support of the following foundations, organizations, and sponsors.
Thank You!
Sustainability Supporter
AJ Fletcher Foundation
Bryson Harris Suciu & DeMay PLLC
Carpenter Development
Catalyst Design
REdesign.build
Tom & Lisa Barrie
VHB
Equity Creator
Balfour Beatty
Hattie Gawande & Andrew Blackburn
Morningstar Law Group
Perkins Eastman
Parker Poe
RaleighForward
Rodney Swink & Juanita Shearer-Swink
RDU Consulting
Swift Partners
Grassroots Initiator
Clancy and Theys
Jammy Pop
Joel Roesch
HH Architecture
MontgomeryChoi
Pappas Real Estate Development Program
TightLines Designs
WithersRavenel
Friends
Sig & Nancy Hutchinson
Arthur & Anya Gordon
Stuart Levin
If you would like to be a sponsor, please contact Executive Director Bert Fox: executivedirector@wakeupwakecounty.org
WakeUP Wake County is a tax-exempt 501(c)3corporation. Donations are tax deductible. RaleighForward is a 501(c)4 corporation.
Donations are not tax deductible.