Raleigh Planners Working For A 'Walkable' Capital City

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Credit City of Raleigh

Hillsborough Street, Raleigh

Raleigh city leaders are planning a more pedestrian-friendly city for the future.  Planners have been drafting a new unified development ordinance.  They say the guidelines in it will transform parts of the city with development that will encourage less travel by car to get around.  

Mitchell Silver is Raleigh's planning director.  He says the city's growing reputation as one of America's most livable  fits with the change in philosophy

"We expect to grow by 120,000 households over the next 20 years and we wanted to make sure we had a good plan in place to make sure that development goes into more walkable places," says Silver. 

"So you will see in about 30 percent of our city more urban, more walkable locations that could be supported by transit."

Silver says this trend has been popping up in many major cities over the last decade. The city council could approve the ordinance Tuesday to go into effect August 1.