Happy September, CITYBUILDERs!
This month, we have several opportunities to learn, connect, and get involved in shaping the future of our Triangle!
Thanks to everyone who came out to CITYBUILDER events over the summer. We were thrilled to see so many of you in Raleigh last week as we wrapped up our Summer Film Tour. Thanks to everyone who came out to learn more about housing and urbanism! And thanks to Maywood Hall at Trophy Brewing for hosting us in your space.
First up, we’re partnering with Yes! In My Triangle for How to Speak at City Council on September 10th in Durham. Whether you’ve never spoken at a public meeting before or you’re looking to sharpen your advocacy skills, this free training will give you the tools and confidence to make your voice heard. We’ll learn how to navigate public meetings, practice delivering messages with impact, and even have some fun with the Duke Improv team! We hope you’ll join us, and bring a friend who wants to get more involved locally. Please RSVP.
We’re also continuing our special two-part series on the local programs that are training the Triangle’s future city builders. For our September Policy Talk, we’ll hear from Adam Walters of NC State’s Pappas Real Estate Development Program about the education and work happening right here in the Triangle to prepare the next generation of planners, designers, developers, and advocates. If you know a high school or college student who is interested in cities, architecture, planning, development, or public service, please share this free conversation with them!
And finally, CITYBUILDER Book Club is back! On September 30th, we’ll gather in Raleigh to discuss Yoni Appelbaum’s Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity. We’re excited to welcome Aaron Lubeck of Southern Urbanism to lead the conversation. As always, this is a chance to dig into a big idea, hear different perspectives, and spend some time with fellow city builders.
There are also a ton of great events happening around the Triangle with our friends and fellow housing advocates, including the Raleigh Strong Towns and Yes! In My Triangle meetups, and Raleigh Rising’s Who Can’t Afford Raleigh? town hall.
And we’re just getting started! In October, we’re excited to kick-off a month of housing programming in coordination with the North Carolina Housing Coalition. If you haven’t already, make sure you’re registered for the NC Affordable Housing Conference 2026 on October 22 & 23. Then, stay plugged in for housing events throughout the Triangle leading up to the YIMBYtown conference.
Building better cities takes more than policies and plans, it takes people like you, who are willing to show up, speak up, and build together. We hope you’ll find a way to join us this month and all autumn long.
See you this fall!
Charlotte Chapman
Program & Operations Manager, CITYBUILDER
EVENTS WITH CITYBUILDER
How to Speak at City Council Training Session
Thursday September 10th • 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Residence Inn by Marriott Durham McPherson • 1108 W Main St, Durham
Join CITYBUILDER and Yes! In My Triangle for this free training to learn how to speak at City Council and public meetings. We’ll be joined by local leaders and advocates, as well the Duke University Improv team!
In this this training we will:
Learn how to sign up to speak at meetings
Practice composing and delivering messages with impact
Gain confidence through improv games
This training is FREE and open to the public, but registration is limited.
CITYBUILDER Policy Talk: How to Build a City Part II with Adam Walters
Tuesday September 15th • 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Virtual • RSVP at the Link
This fall, we’re launching a special two-part online series highlighting the incredible city-building programs at our local Universities. The Triangle is home to some of the world’s top schools, and right here in our backyard, students are preparing to become the planners, architects, engineers, public servants, developers, designers, and advocates who will shape the future of our communities.
For our second talk, we’re excited to welcome Adam Walters PLA, ASLA, ISA, Associate Director of the NC State Pappas Real Estate Development Program, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Practice in Forestry and Environmental Resources. Adam’s work endeavors to create healthy, happy communities through better design & planning.
Please share this free learning opportunity with high school seniors, college students, or anyone curious about a career building better places. These conversations will introduce us to the programs, faculty, and opportunities that can help turn a passion for cities into a meaningful career.
CITYBUILDER Book Club: Stuck with Aaron Lubeck
Wednesday September 30th • 12:00pm - 1:00pm
PRESS Coffee Crêpes Cocktails • 400 Hillsborough St, Suite 108, Raleigh
Join us for community and conversation. CITYBUILDER will purchase your non-alcoholic beverage of choice.
Our discussion of Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity by Yoni Appelbaum will be led by Aaron Lubeck of Durham, NC.
Aaron is a designer & builder with a career in historic preservation, green building, new urbanism, and affordability. Aaron is the founder of Southern Urbanism.
EVENTS WITH FRIENDS
Raleigh Strong Towns Monthly Meetup
Tue Sep 15th 6:30pm - 7:30pm
📍 Weaver Street Market (Upstairs Mezzanine), 404 W Hargett St, Raleigh, NC 27603, USA
Join local neighbors, advocates, and city builders for the monthly Raleigh Strong Towns meetup! This casual gathering is a great place to talk about building stronger, more resilient communities; from housing choices and safe streets to local fiscal responsibility.
All are welcome to come listen, share ideas, and connect with others working toward a stronger Raleigh. This event is hosted by Strong Town Raleigh.
Raleigh Yes! In My Triangle Meetup
Tue Sep 15th 7:30pm - 8:30pm
📍 Morgan Street Food Hall, 411 W Morgan St, Raleigh, NC 27603, USA
The local YIMBY Action chapter gives voice to residents who believe Raleigh-Durham should grow inclusively, sustainably, and affordably. In a region facing skyrocketing housing costs and rapid growth, this group pushes for zoning reform, abundant housing, and walkable communities.
At Yes! In My Triangle, advocacy counters NIMBY resistance and brings much-needed urgency to local housing debates. Simply put, they’re fighting for a Triangle where more people can afford to live, work, and flourish.
This will be a casual, meetup-style event to discuss local housing advocacy.
Raleigh Rising - Who Can’t Afford Raleigh? Town Hall Event
Thu Sep 17th 5:00pm - 7:00pm
📍 John Chavis Memorial Park, 505 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA
Wake County is growing faster than almost anywhere in America, but too many of the people who make this community work are being priced out of it. Raleigh Rising is bringing real data, real stories, and real partnerships to the housing conversation, and we want you at the table.
BEYOND SEPTEMBER
From October 22 to November 22 we’re connecting with housing advocates to create a month of housing, kicking off the with North Carolina Affordable Housing conference on October 22, and ending with YIMBYtown November 17 through 19, and finally the 100th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision on Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co on November 22.
Registration is open for YIMBYtown 2026!
The nation’s pro-housing gathering is coming to Raleigh! Join advocates from throughout the Triangle, across the state, and around the country for sessions on all things housing and YIMBY-ism.