The Triangle District Council of the Urban Land Institute will host the forum “ Planning for a Vibrant Region : Reality Check – From Concept to Action” on October 8 ^th at Meymandi Concert Hall. The program will discuss the outcomes of Reality Check, a regional visioning exercise conducted in February 2009. This program will also focus on how regional partners are collaborating to implement strategies to ensure that the Research Triangle Region maintains its competitive advantage.

This forum discussion will present an overview of the Reality Check implementation process followed by detailed discussion of its three guiding principles: Green Space, Vibrant Centers, and Transit.  A networking reception will follow the program.

Speakers for this event include: Smedes York, chairman of York Properties/McDonald York and the former mayor of Raleigh; Kevin Brice, CEO of Triangle Land Conservancy; John Hodges-Copple, Regional Planning Director of the Triangle J Council of Governments, and Joe Milazzo, Executive Director of the Regional Transportation Alliance.

“Regional collaboration is essential to ensure that the Triangle emerges from this downturn ready to grow” said Jon Wilson, Chair of ULI Triangle District Council. “It is time for strong leadership to remain competitive on a global scale and create a vision for our future. We have brought together a fantastic panel of local leaders to promote the discussion to the benefit of our region.”

The ‘Planning for Vibrant Region: Reality Check: From Concept to Action’ Program will be held at the Meymandi Concert Hall on October 8, 2009 from 4:30pm – 6:00pm, with a networking reception from 6:00pm – 7:00pm. Onsite registration is from 4:00pm to 4:30pm. Pre-registration ends TODAY. This program is open to non-members, but space is limited .