The future of downtown Raleigh is a function of regional economic and demographic trends, market dynamics and the private sector development response, and activity induced by the public sector. Each of these elements is evolving in favor of a continued renaissance in downtown Raleigh, and the prospects for continued growth are strong.
To some extent, raw population growth is fueling the economy in the area. Population growth in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill MSA has outpaced growth in North Carolina in the decade of the 90's, rising from 6.6 million in 1990 to over 8 million in 2000.
The City planning department projects that Raleigh's population will surpass 540,000 by the year 2025. Clearly, population growth will continue for the foreseeable future, and fuel continued development in the residential, retail, and commercial sectors. Downtown is expected to capture a fair share of this market potential through private sector response and public initiatives.
HDR and Dover-Kohl Town Planners were retained by the City to create an economically viable plan for the area designated as the "Convention Center Cultural District" sits at the southern end of downtown Raleigh. The district is defined as loosely bounded by Martin Luther King Boulevard at the south, by Davies Street to the north, by the McDowell-Douglas one-way pair on the west and by Blount Street on the east. For several blocks, this axis runs along Fayetteville Street, which is terminated at the site of the current Convention Center.
An extensive Charrette and community involvement were utilized to create a succinct plan that addresses the needs of both the public and private sector of the community. The urban design approach the team took are to create more civic and mixed use space, more open space, and better pedestrian mobility between the civic spaces and the commercial district.