Report Card without footers4

A Report to the Citizens of the Research Triangle Region

Produced by the Center for Urban and Regional Studies—University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with generous support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and Triangle Growth Strategies

September 2003

Affordability/Equity Transportation Open Space/Farmland Economic Vitality Civic Life Environment/Public Health Growth Management

2003

T r i a n g l e R e g i o n a l

S M A R T G R O W T H R E P O R T C A R D

2003 T r i a n g l e R e g i o n a l

S M A R T G R O W T H R E P O R T C A R D

The Research Triangle Region is a great place to live, learn, work and play. The quality of life within the region continues to attract businesses and residents at a rapid rate. How-ever, the Triangle is also suffering from traffic congestion, poor air quality and escalating housing prices as a result of its widespread popularity. One of the region’s greatest chal-lenges is to accommodate this growth while maintaining the high quality of living that current residents enjoy. The Triangle Regional Smart Growth Report Card was designed as benchmarking system to "rate" the region and to determine how well the region is balancing growth and quality of life. For the purposes of this project, the Triangle Region encompasses the same seven counties that are in the Triangle J Council of Government’s regional designation: Chat-ham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, and Wake. The Report Card focuses on seven different categories depicting key characteristics of our region:

Affordability/Equity, Transportation, Open Space/Farmland, Economic Vitality, Civic Life, Environment/Public Health, and Growth Management. Each category was graded according to how well or how poorly the Triangle performed based upon the composite scores of 2 to 4 indicators selected to most accurately demonstrate the health of the region for that specific cate-gory. The Triangle Regional Smart Growth Report Card Committee assigned grades to each category based on the indicator outcomes for the region as compared to statewide statistics and in some cases national data (a companion report that describes this process in greater detail is available). The final grades assigned ranged from a B+ in Economic Vitality to a C- in Growth Management. Our goal for this first Report Card is to serve as a wake-up call and help Triangle residents begin a more long range process to measure the region’s progress over time in achiev-ing and maintaining a high quality of life. As the familiar saying goes, “If you don’t know

where you’re going, you’ll probably wind up somewhere else.”

A F F O R D A B L I L I T Y/ E Q U I T Y

Provide affordable housing and adequate employment options.

The Triangle region has been moderately successful at providing affordable housing options and a livable wage for residents. Public agencies and non-profit organizations have been working hard to provide more homeownership, rental, and employment opportunities. Despite these efforts, 29% of the rental households cur-rently pay more than 35% of their income, which is the maximum amount rental households should pay. This percentage and the increase in a 10 year period is higher than that of other North Carolinians during the same time period. However, per capita income and poverty level indicators for the region compare with state and national averages.

Percentage of Rental Households Paying 35% or More of Income on Rent

25%

26%

27%

28%

29%

30%

1990 2000% o

f re

nta

l ho

use

ho

lds

Triangle Region

North Carolina

Source: 1990 and 2000 US Census Bureau

GRADE: B-

2003 Triangle Regional Smart Growth Report Card

• Affordability/Equity B-• Transportation C• Open Space/Farmland C• Economic Vitality B+• Civic Life B• Environment/PublicHealth C• Growth Management C-

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N Provide a wide range of transit options.

Traffic congestion is a growing problem in the region. This average grade for transportation reflects the difficulty that residents experience in getting to and from work and making other trips. The region has been growing in a low-density development pattern which has required residents to drive more and longer to get to their destinations. From 1990 to 2000, the daily per capita vehicle miles traveled increased from 27 to 30 miles, an increase of 12%, and the amount of time it takes residents to get to work increased from 20 min-utes to 25 minutes, an increase of 23% - one of the largest increases in the nation. Local and regional planning organi-zations have recognized this problem and are working on strategies to improve the situation. These strategies range from a regional rail transit system to carpooling and telecom-muting programs, but we can, and should, do more.

Mean Travel Time to Work, 1990-2000

15

20

25

30

1990 2000Mea

n t

rave

l tim

e (m

inu

tes)

Triangle

North Carolina

O P E N S P A C E/ F A R M L A N D

Protect our natural areas while providing rec-reational space.

Wildlife depend upon open space for food and shelter, while humans rely on it for recreation, relaxation, aesthet-ics, flood control, fresh air and clean water and numerous other reasons. Sadly, the Triangle region is consuming land at an alarming rate. At the present time, a little less than 6% of the total land in the region is protected for these purposes (approximately 131,166 acres). This amount of protected land averages to approximately 1/10th of an acre per person. Loss in farmland in the region is also outpacing that of the state as a whole. From 1987 to 1997, the re-gion’s farmland decreased from 707,607 acres to 677,761 acres, a 4.2% decrease, while the state average decreased by 3.4 %.

E C O N O M I C V I T A L I T Y Encourage a rising standard of living.

The excellent grade represents the strength of our local economy even in these tough economic times. The Trian-gle region has been very successful in attracting businesses that provide livable wages and that significantly contribute to the tax base. Economic diversity is one indicator of the health of an economy. The optimum diversity rating is higher than the national average, however, the Triangle re-gion scores an almost perfect mark on this indicator. In addition, average household income rose 49% from 1990 to 2000. However, there are challenges with the current re-cession – our unemployment rate increased from 4.7 in 1992 to 5.3 in 2002, a 13% increase.

Economic Diversity, 1991-2001

0.000.050.100.150.200.250.300.35

Chatha

m

Durha

m

John

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Orange

Wake

Trian

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Div

ersi

ty R

atin

g

1991

2001

Protected Open Space Per Person, 2002

0.00.20.40.60.8

Chatha

m*

Durha

m

John

ston Le

e

Moore*

*

Orange

Wake

Trian

gle Reg

ion

Acr

es p

er p

erso

n

*Chatham County data include Army Corps protected land around Jordan Lake. ** Moore County data are preliminary and subject to change. Source: Triangle Land Conservancy "State of Open Space 2002", TJCOG, and 2002 State Agency Data: Office of the Governor

Source: 1990 and 2000 US Census Bureau

Source: 2002 Bureau of Labor Statistics and UNC-CH Center for Urban and Regional Studies

GRADE: B+

GRADE: C

GRADE: C

Optimum

National Average D

iver

sity

Rat

ing

Land Consumption Per Person: Triangle Region, 1987-1997

0.40

0.45

0.50

1987 1992 1997

Acr

es p

er p

erso

nPoor Air Quality Days: Triangle, 1987-2002

0

10

20

30

40

50

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

# o

f po

or

air

qu

alit

y d

ays

C I V I C L I F E Promote engaged citizenry and vibrant

community life. The Triangle region continues to be comprised of citizens who, for the most part, actively participate in enhancing the public realm, are well-educated and have access to a wide range of cultural amenities. The region’s educational at-tainment is high and student-to-teacher ratios are low. Both of these measures have improved considerably from 1990 to 2000. Regarding cultural activity in the area, in 2002 there were more than 700 arts and historical organiza-tions within our region. The region has also designated more than 1,100 properties as nationally and locally his-toric. This indicates the strong pride that residents have in the community’s past and origin. Voter turn out for public elections seems to be the Triangle’s greatest weakness in this area. Only half of the population voted in the 2000 election, down 6% from 1992.

Percent o f Populat ion Vot ing, 1992-2000

40%

50%

60%

1992 1996 2000

Region

North Carolina

Source: 1987, 1992, and 1997 US Census and USDA National Re-source Inventory

Source: 1992, 1996 and 2000 NC Board of Elections

Source: 2002 NC Department of Environment and Natural Re-sources, Division of Air Quality

GRADE: C-

GRADE: C

GRADE: B

E N V I R O N M E N T/ P U B L I C H E A L T H

Enhance the health of people and the environment.

The Triangle region was assigned a grade of “C” for the environment and public health category. The air quality indicator reveals a high number of ozone exceedance days and the overall grade for this category was brought down by the region’s poor air quality ratings. This is confirmed by the 2002 American Lung Association rankings, which ranked the Triangle region as the 13th most ozone-polluted metropolitan area in the nation. According to the other in-dicator within this category, however, the water quality of the region’s tested streams and lakes is good. Ninety per-cent of streams and lakes meet their federal water quality standards.

G R O W T H M A N A G E M E N T

Encourage efficient land use patterns.

The Triangle region has not performed well in managing its growth. In a recent study by Reid Ewing and Rolf Pendall, the Triangle region ranked as the third most sprawling metropolitan area in the nation. From 1987 to 1997, the Triangle’s population grew by 36% while the amount of land consumed increased by 52%. The Trian-gle region must work much harder to reduce sprawl and its negative effects as well as promote a more sustainable way of living. Some strategies include developing where infrastructure already exists, mixing land uses, investing in transit, and revising existing zoning and subdivision regulations to encourage more compact development.

I T T A K E S A R E G I O N ! The Triangle has plenty of “regional success stories” — the formation of and challenging work conducted by regional organizations such as the Triangle Transit Authority, the Greater Triangle Regional Council and the RDU Airport Authority plus the excellent planning capabili-ties of the Triangle J Council of Governments, the bold conservation efforts of the Triangle Land Conservancy and many other regional or-ganizations too numerous to name. As a region, however, we have our work cut out for us if we are to avoid what one local journalist dubbed, the “Atlantification” of the Triangle. The issuance of the 2003 Triangle Regional Smart Growth Report Card is intended as a first step in helping Triangle residents recognize where we stand and then do what is necessary to excel and “make the honor roll” rather than accepting the status quo in areas where we know can do better. We must accommodate new growth in a manner that maintains and enhances the physical environment, health of Triangle residents, and the economy, as well as provides an affordable living environment. This challenge will require the involve-ment and collaboration of residents, community leaders, educators, business people, and elected officials. These various groups must work together to develop effective and innovative strategies for pre-venting traffic congestion and piecemeal development while maintain-ing the characteristics of the region that the Triangle is known for — an educated citizenry, low unemployment and excellent cultural amenities.

For more information on this project, contact the Center for Urban and Re-gional Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill, CB #3410, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3410. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 919-962-3076. A copy of the de-tailed technical report can be downloaded in pdf format from the Center’s website, www.unc.edu/depts/curs/newpub.html.

P h o t o s c o u r t e s y o f : EmPOWERment, Inc; NC Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development; Triangle J Council of Governments; and UNC-CH Center for Urban and Regional Studies

Triangle Regional Smart Growth Report Card Committee

Cara Crisler North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance

www.ncsmartgrowth.org

David Godschalk UNC-CH Department of City and Regional Planning

www.planning.unc.edu

Phillip Graham Leadership Triangle

www.leadershiptriangle.com

Syd Miller Triangle Smart Growth Coalition

www.trianglegrowth.org/tsgc

Mack Paul Triangle Growth Strategies

www.trianglegrowth.org

Mary Beth Powell and David Salvesen UNC-CH Center for Urban and Regional Studies

www.unc.edu/depts/curs

Jim Wahlbrink Home Builders Association of Raleigh and Wake County

www.hbawake.com

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