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ONE IMAGE | 1969 Regional Plan for the Triangle
North Carolina

ONE IMAGE | 1969 Regional Plan for the Triangle

BIGGER PICTURE | Way more concentrated density, way less sprawl. What went wrong?

Payton Chung
Feb 04, 2025
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CITYBUILDER
CITYBUILDER
ONE IMAGE | 1969 Regional Plan for the Triangle
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As seen at Durham Central library, available online at digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/research-triangle-regi...

One Image (One Map, One Graph, One Image that Matters) is a series pilot that looks at data and imagery in central North Carolina to better explain our built environment. It is available to subscribers.


The 1969 Regional Planning Commission plan for the Triangle showcases the expected boundary edges of development, predicting a metro of 1,140,000. At the time, Raleigh’s population was less than 150,000.

What is remarkable about the drawing today? And why does it matter?

  • There really is no Regional Planning Commission today, and the failure to plan regionally is one of the reasons the metro is sprawled to the extreme today.

  • The plan implies a relatively hard boundary, even an urban growth boundary, that mostly never came to fruition.

  • With the late 1960s being peak white-flight, there appears to be no ambition to density or urbanize anything. The map implies that growth is sprawl, and sprawl is growth.

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A guest post by
Payton Chung
Payton Chung, LEED AP ND, CNUa, is developing infill housing in the Raleigh area and is a board member for Greater Greater Washington and Citybuilder NC. He first addressed the Cary town council about smart growth in 1996.
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