Let me point you to ...

... this article and discussion over at New Raleigh.

http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/real-solutions-to-4-gallon-gas-and-a-sedentary-lifestyle/

Fallonia is a big fan of walkable and accessible living, which is why she designed her life around the same 5 mile diameter. And she loves going downtown again. The bus stop at the corner that goes there hopefully will return soon.

The question becomes how to open up areas to living / walking / busing and biking and not destroy the homes of the "pioneers" who settled in the core years ago when it was not the vogue. Very few intown dwellers chose to live here because it was a great value. They chose to live here because of a match with their values.

City dwellers have always had a good sense of character, or are characters themselves. Raleigh will not be Raleigh for long without them. The trick, my dearies, is to find that balance point.



Reality bite of the day:

Because we don’t have that (some of our peer cities do), we are left with this: a developer proposes a whole big pile on their own parcel, and they try to get 5 votes on Council. And who can blame them? Our city has provided no viable alternative for either the developers or the neighbors. The uncertainty costs everyone money and time, and no one knows what will happen next. It’s all just a matter of political gamesmanship.