Imagine Cary, multi-year long range planning effort by the Town of Cary is currently underway and was kicked-off last Thursday, May 2 with a widely attended public event, The Summit on the Future. The Summit attendance reached capacity as nearly 1,000 registered attendees shared their thoughts and opinions on a future vision for development, transportation, housing, environment and economy in the Town of Cary.
The Summit focused on growth, asking every attendee how they believed growth should be managed in Cary. Keynote speaker, Christopher B. Leinberger, a land use strategist, teacher, developer, researcher and Research Professor at George Washington University School of Business lead the event. The overriding theme throughout Mr. Leinberger’s talk: walkable urban communities are high in demand. Walkable communities encourage a type of sustainable urbanism that is most sought after by the widest spread of demographics that define a segment of the population.
Some highlights from his talk include:
- Suburban v. Transit Oriented Real Estate Values
Real estate values in walkable neighborhoods adjoining downtown areas have far surpassed those in costly suburbs across the country. Building walkable urban places, he explained, has demonstrated that as you build more restaurants, housing, and offices in a walkable urban manner the quality of life improves. Mr. Leinberger reiterated that a common characteristic each of these walkable urban developed areas share is public transit!
- Transit as Guide for Development
Transportation drives development and he used aerial photography to depict regions in our country developed around highways and asphalt infrastructure, versus other locations developed as walkable urban areas.
- Cost Savings
Average household spending on transportation is considerably less in areas that are developed as walkable urban.
- Importance of Light Rail
Light rail would enhance the Town of Cary and he explained how a minor local tax increase could effectively fund the implementation of an efficient transit system that could continue to ensure the Town of Cary maintains its renowned national reputation for being a great place to live.
The Summit to the Future emphasized enhanced, multi-modal transit systems fundamental benefits to the economy and overall quality of life of residents in Cary. This is the same message WakeUP Wake County and the Capital Area Friends of Transit Coalition have shared in support of the proposed Wake County Transit Plan since its release in December 2011.
Imagine Cary will end when the new Community Plan for Cary is finalized in 2014. In the next few months there will be several opportunities for the public to attend Area Conversations and provide feedback about the project’s progress. Please visit the Imagine Cary website to learn more and participate!
