2030 Comprehensive Plan Update, April 2024

Urban Design

11.1 Raleigh’s Identity

A more memorable identity for Raleigh will be created in the future by enhancing the aesthetic qualities of Raleigh’s corridors with a high-quality built environment, greenway network, and preserving its natural landscapes and scenic resources. Downtown Raleigh’s seven local historic districts – Blount Street, Boylan Heights, Capitol Square, Moore Square, Oakwood, Price Hall and Glenwood Brooklyn – represent unique residential, commercial, and institutional districts. East-Raleigh – South Park, one of downtown Raleigh’s national historic districts, also contributes to Raleigh’s unique sense of place. This national historic district contains many residential buildings that provide integrity to downtown. It offers a window into the architectural heritage of the city’s residential development. Outside of downtown, many stable residential neighborhoods still exist along streets such as Halifax, New Bern, and Hillsborough, with streetside planting areas and sidewalks on the axial streets. Buildings and their entrances are oriented toward the sidewalk and formal architectural elements organize the public street spaces. Early suburbs such as Cameron Park and Glenwood/Brooklyn also have very distinctive characteristics that are worth preserving and could help in establishing Raleigh’s identity. Suburban residential areas are the core residential neighborhoods of the city, and additional attention to their desired form and density is required to distinguish them as Raleigh neighborhoods.

11-8