Community
Downtown Raleigh’s vision for the future must be grounded in our partnerships and relationships we build with one another. The plan outlines opportunities to continue to build on existing partnerships and to develop new strategies to create connections that may be missing or underutilized at present.
Connect to Other Innovation Centers & Institutions
Linking Centennial Campus and Downtown as complimentary innovation centers with physical connections and collaborative partnerships can increase the competitiveness of both locations.
Downtown Raleigh has the opportunity to work proactively with key educational institutions to become the epicenter of innovation in the triangle. By establishing a more robust presence from adjacent academic institutions in our downtown core, more fluid partnerships could be built to strengthen the innovation ecosystem and create a thriving center for growth.
Life sciences is a strength of the Triangle and present in other city centers in the region, plus offers the potential for a type of employment less prone to remote work. The study finds Downtown Raleigh has the opportunity to work with local partners to advance speculative life science spaces in our market through redevelopment or spec built new construction facilities, further bolstering this industry and creating additional opportunities for growth in our market.
Be the Hub of Creative+Design Community
Downtown Raleigh is home to the largest concentration of architectural, design, digital marketing, and creative firms in Wake County and the Triangle. The study outlines a series of initiatives that could create strong ecosystem for this important sector of the economy and broaden the overall business brand and appeal of Downtown Raleigh.
Better Support Minority and Women-owned Business Ecosystem
Downtown Raleigh can have a specific value proposition in developing a specialized ecosystem for MWBEs that provides more financial support, more space for testing and pop-ups, and more internship opportunities between nearby Historically Black Colleges and Universities and major downtown employers.
