Metropolitan Portraits explores the contemporary metropolis in its
diverse blend of past and present. Each volume describes a North
American urban region in terms of historical experience, spatial
configuration, culture, and contemporary issues. Books in the
series are intended to promote discussion and understanding of
metropolitan North America at the start of the twenty-first century.
JUDITH A. MARTIN, SERIES EDITOR
THE RESEARCH
TRIANGLE
From Tobacco Road to Global Prominence
WILLIAM M. ROHE
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia
Copyright © 2011 University of Pennsylvania Press
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of review or scholarly citation, none of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher.
Published by
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rohe, William M.
The Research Triangle : from Tobacco Road to global prominence / William M. Rohe.—1st ed.
p. cm.— (Metropolitan portraits)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8122-4343-7 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Research Triangle Park Region (N.C.). 2. Research Triangle Park (N.C.)—History. 3. Research Triangle Park Region (N.C.)—Economic conditions. 4. Research Triangle Park Region (N.C.)—Social conditions. 5. Regional planning—North Carolina—Research Triangle Park Region. I. Title. II. Series: Metropolitan portraits.
F262.R27R64 2011
975.6'55—dc22
2011011182
For Jamie, Devon, and Kyla,who make my world go around
CONTENTS
2 The Birth of the Research Triangle Metropolitan Area
3 Population Growth and Its Impact
4 The Evolving Research Triangle Economy
5 Urban Development and Planning
PREFACE
All the books in the Metropolitan Portraits series reflect the backgrounds and interests of their authors. This book reflects my background as a professor of city and regional planning and my interests in urban development and redevelopment. My desire was to write a book that would provide both academic and nonacademic readers a broad understanding of the area, including its fascinating history, the key projects that resulted in the development of the metropolitan area, the explosive population growth and diversification of the area, the transformation of the area's economy, and the physical development and planning of the area. As a professor of planning I also wanted to offer a critique of the growth and development of the area and contribute ideas as to what needs to happen for the area to continue to be an attractive place to live and do business.
In my initial broad thinking about the book, I wanted to convey two key ideas. The first is that the Research Triangle, more than most other areas, has been the product of ambitious public-private planning and development initiatives. It did not just develop on its own, it was created, and it continues to be created. The second idea is that the local public, nonprofit, and private leaders are striving to create a world-class region. I do not mean to suggest that the region has necessarily achieved world-class status, only that that is the goal being pursued by area leaders.
Given the breadth of this book, I had to leave out a lot. Each chapter could easily be the subject of one or more books. I apologize in advance to those who feel that their contribution, their issues, or their community was ignored or given short shrift. The shape of a metropolitan area is the result of a large number of individual actions. One of my particular regrets is that I was unable to identify and acknowledge many individuals who have made important contributions to the development of the area. I hope others will be moved to delve more deeply into their contributions to the area. There is so much more that can and should be written about the Research Triangle.
Many people provided valuable assistance in producing this book. I want to thank Judith Martin and Bob Lockhart for developing the Metropolitan Portraits series and for offering me the opportunity to write about the Research Triangle. Judith also provided valuable editorial comments on each chapter of the book. Her enthusiasm and encouragement are greatly appreciated. Executive Assistant Debra Hill of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill also provided valuable assistance in transcribing interviews, digitizing excerpts, and editing and commenting on this book. Several very capable graduate students provided research assistance: Matt Dudick, Alice Gugelmann, Katharine Hebert, Kevin Neary, Kate Newman, Audrey Stewart, and Beverly Wilson. Finally, I would like to thank the following local leaders and astute observers who offered their knowledge and insights in the interviews I conducted for this book: Ted Abernathy, David Bonk, Jim Goodmon, Charles Hayes, John Hodges-Copple, Jonathan Howes, David King, Sydney Miller, Dave Moreau, Elisabeth Rooks, Pearson Stewart, Tony Waldrop, Pam Wall, Rick Weddle, Jesse White, Smedes York, and Ted Zoller.
Introduction
The Research Triangle area, defined here as the seven counties that form the Raleigh-Cary and Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan statistical areas in North Carolina, offers an intriguing metropolitan growth case study. First, it is a relatively new metro, having largely developed over the past fifty years. So its growth represents more contemporary, rather than historical, circumstances and actions. Second, over the past two decades the Research Triangle has been one of the fastest growing areas in the United States: in 1960 the combined population of the Raleigh and Durham metropolitan statistical areas was 238,000; by 2009 it was almost 1.7 million.