Back to School, Back to Building Cities
The Triangle trains citybuilders of every kind. We welcome students from across NC and beyond, and we invite you to share this welcome with the students you know.
Every August and September, the Triangle shifts.
Campuses buzz, buses fill, and book bags swing through city streets. Back to school is not just for kids. It is a rhythm that runs through the whole region. Families feel it. Recent graduates feel it. New students feel it most of all.
This is a welcome letter to you students. You are not just returning to class. You are stepping into a region where building cities is not a theory. It is real, local, urgent work.
And we want to say it plainly: we welcome you.
Too often, students hear skepticism from neighbors or see headlines that frame students and their apartments as a problem.
That is not our view.
CITYBUILDER believes every new student makes this region stronger, whether you came from another town in North Carolina, another part of the country, or from across the globe. The Triangle is not only one of the best places to study citybuilding. It is also one of the best places to stay and build a future.
We believe growth is good. That is because embracing growth is how we welcome new people. We welcome young and eager citizens into our cities. We want to ensure there is room for you to learn, live, and build your future here.
Many of you already know how tight the Triangle student housing market can feel. Apartments near campus are expensive, rooms fill quickly, and finding a place to live is stressful. That is exactly why CITYBUILDER pushes for more homes of every size and type. We understand that welcoming students means making sure there are enough apartments, duplexes, and townhomes to keep this region affordable and accessible.
For us, citybuilding describes creating the mix of everyday places that shape how people live. Citybuilding means creating the environments and experiences in which we exist, it’s housing, transit, sidewalks, corner stores, and civic spaces. How and where we build impacts your apartment hunt, your journey to school, grabbing a coffee, and enjoying time with friends. There’s a reason that so many people are nostalgic for their college years, it's because for many Americans it’s the only time we live in a walkable community. We believe we can have more of that good walkable citybuilding in our cities.
Citybuilding takes many hands working together, including planners, policymakers, tradespeople, barbers, landscapers, childcare workers, brewers and more. Everyone who holds community together plays a role. What makes the Triangle special is that you can study nearly every part of that work right here locally.
To the students arriving this fall at NC State, UNC, Duke, NCCU, Wake Tech, and Durham Tech: you are moving into one of the strongest hubs for learning how to shape cities in America. Here’s a rundown of the programs training citybuilders right here in the Triangle.
NC State University
NC State is a powerhouse for citybuilding disciplines (though I might be biased being a two time alumna).
The College of Design trains architects, landscape architects, and urban designers to shape human-scale neighborhoods rooted in daily life.
The College of Engineering, through Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, teaches students how to design systems that keep cities moving, including roads, bridges, water systems, and resilient infrastructure. These engineers are central to the strength of our region.
The Peter A. Pappas Real Estate Development Program brings it all together with an interdisciplinary approach that links design, business, and community practice. As Peter Pappas says, “I can think of no better way to improve the built environment than creating a comprehensive real estate development program that will prepare the next generation of young leaders in making a positive and lasting impact on our cities.” We are excited that this program exists in Raleigh because it proves that development can be civic and purposeful.
UNC–Chapel Hill
The Department of City & Regional Planning (DCRP) at UNC is a top-ranked planning school. Students work in land use, housing, transportation, and environmental planning. They do not just study challenges, they are studying solutions and learn to lead decisions that reshape how regions grow.
The Kenan-Flagler Business School offers a real estate-focused MBA and real-world experience through the Leonard W. Wood Center. Graduates go on to work as developers, investors, and policy leaders across North Carolina.
Duke University
The Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke educates leaders on land use, infrastructure, and housing decisions in city halls, nonprofits, and corporate boards.
At the Fuqua School of Business, students explore how capital flows into housing and development. Whether through concentrations, electives, or the Real Estate Club, they learn how markets shape neighborhoods.
The Pratt School of Engineering trains engineers in sustainable infrastructure, smart cities, and environmental systems. This is the technical backbone of equitable growth.
North Carolina Central University
NCCU’s Public Administration Program trains students in budgeting, housing programs, and governance.
The School of Law at NCCU prepares advocates who defend civil rights and have been a part of shaping housing and land use policies for decades.
The Trades Belong Here Too
While our universities train planners, designers, and policymakers, our cities cannot be built without skilled labor. As Mike Rowe says, “The flaw in our character is our insistence on separating blue-collar jobs from white-collar jobs, and encouraging one form of education over another.”
At CITYBUILDER we’re working to fix that separation. A duplex is never built without carpenters. A clinic does not last without welders and pipefitters. A walkable street relies on masons, HVAC techs, and surveyors as much as planning and zoning. That is why CITYBUILDER celebrates Wake Tech and Durham Tech alongside NC State, UNC, Duke, and NCCU.
Wake Technical Community College
Wake Tech offers welding, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, carpentry, and apprenticeship programs. Its Architectural Technology, Civil Engineering Technology, and Construction Management pathways connect skilled work to the systems that plan and permit growth.
Durham Technical Community College
Durham Tech offers carpentry, welding, facilities maintenance, plumbing, and HVAC training with real job site readiness. Architectural Technology bridges drafting and hands-on building. These programs power real projects across the Triangle every day.
Everyone Builds Cities
Citybuilding is not reserved for the licensed. It happens in gardens tended by landscapers, coffee poured at the corner café, haircuts done by trusted barbers, and children cared for by teachers. People anchor neighborhoods with their work, day by day.
At CITYBUILDER, we honor all of it.
Because communities are not only designed, they are lived.
Our values are clear: everyone deserves housing choices, walkable urbanism is how we build a sustainable future, and positive change comes from diverse citizens acting together.
What You Can Do
To every student landing here this fall: we welcome you. You are part of this region’s story now. You join a place that leads in housing reform, zoning innovation, and urban growth.
If you have already struggled with the challenges of student housing, you know what is at stake. The shortage of apartments near campus and transit is not just a student issue. It is a citywide challenge. That is why your voice matters when policies are written and decisions are made.
Join CITYBUILDER as a student member with your “.edu” email and receive a student discount. Add your voice to a grassroots coalition shaping how our cities grow.
Check out our events calendar and join us for upcoming gatherings where you can meet peers across disciplines, connect with local professionals, and plug into real grassroots advocacy beyond the classroom.
And once again, we welcome you. We are so glad you are here.
Welcome to citybuilding.
P.S. If you are not a student yourself, forward this welcome to a student in your life. Let them know they are part of this work and that there is a place for them in our movement.