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I disagree with this statement for Raleigh, and it doesn't have to be a standard "monorail". It could be a system on wheels and on tracks. With Midtown's rapid development to the north of downtown, and NC State and The Village District to the west, it's easy to imagine a successful system like Miami has with Metromover. A north/south line could start in North Hills, move its way to the Iron District and into downtown proper before heading south to terminate at the upcoming Downtown South project near I40 & S.Saunders St. As it passes through downtown, a central station could be connect to a second line that would run west/east from NC State to St. Augustine's Univ. with connections to the BRT Line that will take people further out to the east side of Raleigh.
I can't imagine that with all that is happening at North Hills, Midtown, Downtown, and planned for downtown South, city leaders and developers haven't given some sort of upgraded rail service some serious thought. These areas are going to become very dense, and i'm not seeing how the current road infrastructure will adequately support the increased loads of traffic. I also don't think that rapid bus transit is a viable long term solution as many have suggested.
You guys. Don’t advocate for a monorail or a people mover.
That type of stuff should be left for airports, theme parks, casinos or large office parks. Commuter Rail, suburban rail, heavy rail, light rail, streetcars, underground streetcars etc, yes.
You guys. Don’t advocate for a monorail or a people mover.
That type of stuff should be left for airports, theme parks, casinos or large office parks. Commuter Rail, suburban rail, heavy rail, light rail, streetcars, underground streetcars etc, yes.
Monorails and “peoplemovers” no.
i say think outside the box with a gondola fitted with plastic,
The distance between these dense neighborhoods is short.
The ridership of Charlotte's blue line should be studied becasue of so much housing along the line.
Is it rising, falling and what role does the economy play in the numbers?
Usually recessions see the most ridership, but I agree Raleigh needs to start some sort of backbone system now rather than wait with Apple's entrance blowing up home prices.
i say think outside the box with a gondola fitted with plastic,
The distance between these dense neighborhoods is short.
The ridership of Charlotte's blue line should be studied becasue of so much housing along the line.
Is it rising, falling and what role does the economy play in the numbers?
Usually recessions see the most ridership, but I agree Raleigh needs to start some sort of backbone system now rather than wait with Apple's entrance blowing up home prices.
The corporations are not going to stop coming, the people are not going to stop coming, and the densification is not going to stop happening. Planning around the developments, infrastructure, water resources, schools, etc. will need to keep up with this trend or else there will be disastrous consequences.
i say think outside the box with a gondola fitted with plastic,
The distance between these dense neighborhoods is short.
The ridership of Charlotte's blue line should be studied becasue of so much housing along the line.
Is it rising, falling and what role does the economy play in the numbers?
Usually recessions see the most ridership, but I agree Raleigh needs to start some sort of backbone system now rather than wait with Apple's entrance blowing up home prices.
“Usually recessions see the most ridership.”
There’s a big difference between a recession and a global pandemic…
And you can’t be serious with gondola’s fitted with plastic…there’s not that much housing along the blue line. Only in SouthEnd and uptown is there dense housing.
You guys. Don’t advocate for a monorail or a people mover.
That type of stuff should be left for airports, theme parks, casinos or large office parks. Commuter Rail, suburban rail, heavy rail, light rail, streetcars, underground streetcars etc, yes.
Monorails and “peoplemovers” no.
Agreed 100%. Commuter rail is the first "new" mass transit I would like to see in the Triangle. I would say maybe BRT feeding into the commuter rail stops (especially in RTP, nobody nobody nobody wants to walk from Hub RTP to Rho in NC summer heat in their work clothes), but I don't really know the logistics of BRT.
there’s not that much housing along the blue line. Only in SouthEnd and uptown is there dense housing.
Basically no one lived along the blue line when it was first built. I mean South End was essentially just abandoned warehouses in the 2000s. Now there are tens of thousands of residents just a decade and a half later, developments that are designed around the light rail/rail trail first instead of the roads, notable employment hubs (Lowe's Tech Center, etc)....investment is starting to focus more on South End and less on Uptown. NoDa and University area is starting to densify. Of course there are different dynamics in play, but I think similar things could definitely happen in Raleigh.
North Carolina officials in negotiations with Supersonic Jet Maker for a manufacturing facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro.
The 205-foot passenger plane can travel at more than 1,300 mph — faster than the speed of sound and twice the speed of today’s fastest airliners. The plane can carry 65 to 88 passengers and fly as far as 4,888 miles at a cruising altitude of 60,000 feet
For the Triad to experience explosive growth it will need to become an aerotropolis.
Piedmont Triad International Airport has become an emerging aerospace hub according to site selection.com. With the growth of Honda Aircraft Company and future potential investment from other companies like Boom Supersonic looking to manufacture advanced cutting edge aircraft at PTI, I think we have found our answer to the banking hub of Charlotte and RTP in the Triangle. But in order for us to become a serious player in the aerospace sector we are going to have to compete regionally. Some years ago leaders floated an idea that would bring the Triad together in attracting economic growth to the region. That was the "Heart of the Triad". The idea seems to have been forgotten. Mainly because it probably lacked a focus. But that focus could be the aerospace industry. PTI is not large enough to handle the kind of growth in this sector that we'd like to have. The Heart of the Triad could serve this purpose with a development that could rival RTP in the Triangle. Piedmont Triad Aerospace Park (PTAP) or North Carolina Aerospace Park (NCAP) could become that development. I actually prefer the latter name because this needs to be the aerospace hub of the state and having North Carolina in the name raises the profile of the park globally. It would encompass more than just Piedmont Triad International Airport. It would include the airport along with thousands of acres in both Guilford and Forsyth Counties. The size of this park would be measured in square miles.
PTAP or NCAP could include
Thousands of acres in the central Triad in Guilford and Forsyth Counties for aerospace firms, private space travel firms, advanced manufacturing, retail, residential, recreation and entertainment. A well planned smart growth urban like development or community as opposed to the office park feel of Research Triangle Park. With enough jobs, the North Carolina Aerospace Park could have rail transit linking the Triad's downtowns. This is where Triad leaders from Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem can come together and turn the region into a much bigger aerospace hub which would extend beyond Greensboro. In addition to manufacturing jets, airplanes, jet engines, aviation components and things of the like, the region should reach higher. Once we establish ourselves as a formidable aerospace region, I'd like to see the region seek partnerships with NASA and private space travel companies to manufacture portions of space technology. They could have partnerships with NC A&T and GTCC and research in this sector could take place in Greensboro's future downtown innovation district and other locations in the Triad. If the Triad can get to that level, we will rival RTP in the Triangle in terms of the number of high paying jobs and becoming a destination for world class companies. The idea is not pie in the sky. We have the infrastructure, the work force, educational institutions, great quality of life. We have to have the desire and will to make it happen. North Carolina is First in Flight and we should be the hub for the aerospace industry.
These are some segments of the aerospace industry the Triad can focus on in terms of high skilled jobs.
This could become our niche. We'll never become a banking hub like Charlotte or a biotechnology hub like RTP, but the seeds have been sowed for the region making its mark in the aerospace sector. But it will take city leaders beyond the city limits of Greensboro working together to make it happen. This is how the Triad cities can "arrive" and the effect will be explosive populational growth and more urban amenities. The urban Cresent in North Carolina between Charlotte and Raleigh could become the south's economic engine with finance/banking, aerospace/advanced manufacturing and biotechnology.
For the Triad to experience explosive growth it will need to become an aerotropolis.
Piedmont Triad International Airport has become an emerging aerospace hub according to site selection.com. With the growth of Honda Aircraft Company and future potential investment from other companies like Boom Supersonic looking to manufacture advanced cutting edge aircraft at PTI, I think we have found our answer to the banking hub of Charlotte and RTP in the Triangle. But in order for us to become a serious player in the aerospace sector we are going to have to compete regionally. Some years ago leaders floated an idea that would bring the Triad together in attracting economic growth to the region. That was the "Heart of the Triad". The idea seems to have been forgotten. Mainly because it probably lacked a focus. But that focus could be the aerospace industry. PTI is not large enough to handle the kind of growth in this sector that we'd like to have. The Heart of the Triad could serve this purpose with a development that could rival RTP in the Triangle. Piedmont Triad Aerospace Park (PTAP) or North Carolina Aerospace Park (NCAP) could become that development. I actually prefer the latter name because this needs to be the aerospace hub of the state and having North Carolina in the name raises the profile of the park globally. It would encompass more than just Piedmont Triad International Airport. It would include the airport along with thousands of acres in both Guilford and Forsyth Counties. The size of this park would be measured in square miles.
PTAP or NCAP could include
Thousands of acres in the central Triad in Guilford and Forsyth Counties for aerospace firms, private space travel firms, advanced manufacturing, retail, residential, recreation and entertainment. A well planned smart growth urban like development or community as opposed to the office park feel of Research Triangle Park. With enough jobs, the North Carolina Aerospace Park could have rail transit linking the Triad's downtowns. This is where Triad leaders from Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem can come together and turn the region into a much bigger aerospace hub which would extend beyond Greensboro. In addition to manufacturing jets, airplanes, jet engines, aviation components and things of the like, the region should reach higher. Once we establish ourselves as a formidable aerospace region, I'd like to see the region seek partnerships with NASA and private space travel companies to manufacture portions of space technology. They could have partnerships with NC A&T and GTCC and research in this sector could take place in Greensboro's future downtown innovation district and other locations in the Triad. If the Triad can get to that level, we will rival RTP in the Triangle in terms of the number of high paying jobs and becoming a destination for world class companies. The idea is not pie in the sky. We have the infrastructure, the work force, educational institutions, great quality of life. We have to have the desire and will to make it happen. North Carolina is First in Flight and we should be the hub for the aerospace industry.
These are some segments of the aerospace industry the Triad can focus on in terms of high skilled jobs.
This could become our niche. We'll never become a banking hub like Charlotte or a biotechnology hub like RTP, but the seeds have been sowed for the region making its mark in the aerospace sector. But it will take city leaders beyond the city limits of Greensboro working together to make it happen. This is how the Triad cities can "arrive" and the effect will be explosive populational growth and more urban amenities. The urban Cresent in North Carolina between Charlotte and Raleigh could become the south's economic engine with finance/banking, aerospace/advanced manufacturing and biotechnology.
This is basically a rehash of this article from 2007 and since that time, I don't think there are any examples of aerotropolises that have sparked rapid growth in cities that weren't already experiencing such.
The more successful aerotropolises are more or less natural outgrowths from the huge air/logistics hubs that their metropolitan areas function as (e.g., Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver); both are also the largest and most important metros of their respective regions with highly diverse economies and a combination of sectors that contribute to their growth and prosperity. However, cities like Memphis (FedEx Air HQ) and Louisville (UPS Air HQ) have also dipped their toes into the aerotropolis waters and at most, one could say that it has helped keep their economies healthy and solid. They certainly haven't "taken off" in the population growth department within the past decade though.
Interestingly, this article suggests that NC as a state essentially functions as an aerotropolis with different parts of the state having their specialities and strengths but it does single out the Triad for its growth potential in this regard. But since that article was written, one would have to add Global TransPark in Kinston to the list with the economic development wins it has scored in recent years. It already has substantial functional overlap with the aerotropolis concept so that needs to be considered also.
I've said this before, but I think the Triad would do well to follow the SC Upstate model when it comes to 21st century economic development: establish and grow a modern manufacturing cluster and use core quality urban development as a tool to lure new businesses and residents. I think it's a mistake to try and focus on making another version of RTP happen today or some other mega-project silver bullet. The Triad just needs to remain focused on and dedicated to a long-term viable economic strategy which consists of getting the nuts and bolts in place to maintain a trajectory of growth. That's probably been happening more than most know since that in itself doesn't result in much fanfare like the landing the big fish--made possible by getting the boring basics right--do. But at the same time, I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment by expecting Charlotte- and Triangle-type growth rates by relying on the aerotropolis concept. More rapid growth could possibly happen, but it would most likely be in the range of present-day Greenville/Spartanburg which is certainly above-average and enough to get it more noticed regionally and nationally.
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