by Neil Caudle
Draft plans for Carolina North, which the university calls its vision for a "living and learning community," incorporate many of the features recommended to promote walking, bicycling, and other physical activities.
Situated one mile north of the main campus on part of a 963-acre tract west of Airport Road, Carolina North would provide space for university laboratories and offices, business incubators for university technologies, and a setting for research partnerships between private companies and Carolina scientists.
Along with places for work and study, Carolina North would accommodate residential housing and retail space, creating a mixed-use community of pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods well connected to Chapel Hill's network of sidewalks and bus routes. The plans also call for substantial areas of green space suitable for parks, playgrounds, and recreational facilities.
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Conceptual
plans for Carolina North show an east-to-west phasing of neighborhoods.
A walk from the center of each circle to its edge would take about five
minutes. Beyond the street grid, draft plans indicate natural areas.
Illustration by Ayers/Saint/Gross Architects and Planners; click
to enlarge.
Respecting undisturbed landscape, Carolina North's draft plans concentrate
most of the development into a band of relatively level land, much of
which was cleared long ago. Most of the remaining acreage, about three-fourths
of the total, appears on the draft plans as natural area, with hundreds
of acres suitable for scenic trails and jogging paths. The development,
which would progress in carefully planned stages over the next fifty
years or so, will first undergo a lengthy process of permits and approvals
required by state and local governments.
To learn more about Carolina North, visit carolinanorth.unc.edu/. Illustrations on this page were provided by Ayers/Saint/Gross Architects and Planners. Tony Waldrop, vice chancellor for research and economic development, leads the Carolina North project.
