Warren Shares Insights on Affordable Housing in Downtown Raleigh

It’s another season of self-congratulation for Raleigh. We’re No. 1 on this year’s Forbes list of “Best Places for Business and Careers.” We’re No. 2 for “Most Educated Cities,” trailing only Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Durham is third.) Concurrent with these accolades, Raleigh rolled out a new downtown plan, modestly dedicated to “supporting creativity, entrepreneurial growth and innovation in the most walkable and civic-minded downtown.”

For those who remember the downtown of, say, 15 years ago, with its dead streets and ghostly pallor, the notion that it’s poised to become “a dynamic, diverse city-center neighborhood anchoring tourism and culture for all generations” is almost too much to fathom. Take a moment. Pinch yourself.

But not too hard, because for all our progress, it’s also true what Gregg Warren said a few days ago. “Newsflash!” Warren began, as a cartoon light bulb popped on the screen behind him. “We’re not No. 1 in everything!”  Read more on this topic in the Independent Weekly.