A reader of our weekly newsletter, The Week Ahead, wrote with concerns about two items we recently published and we feel it’s important to address the concerns publicly so others can also see our response.
This did not feel like Engagement
We told you this would not work. And then you did it anyway. And what you installed was not just dismissive of our concerns, It was incomplete. You placed these bike lanes without clear roadway markings. No clear direction. No clear separation. Just confusion on a street where confusion can cost someone their life. So let’s call this what it is: That’s negligence.
Community Conversation about Affordable Housing
Join us for a community conversation about Affordable Housing
Nicole Bennett, Former Planning Commission Chair – It’s Not Just a Rezoning
Why does “the greater good” so often require loss from the same communities? Why are the people who already rely on transit the ones most at risk of being displaced from it? What does it mean to build a transit corridor that the current riders might no longer be able to afford to live near? if the greater good keeps requiring that the same communities lose everything, perhaps we need to ask ourselves what “good” really means.
Raleigh’s Affordable Housing web pages are Unnavigable
Navigating Raleigh’s affordable housing webpages feels like a frustrating maze. There’s good information, unfortunately, it’s buried under confusing web design, esoteric labels, scattered across too many disconnected pages or missing altogether in outdated reports.
Reactivate South CAC – Second Meeting
The Second Community Meeting to reactivate the South CAC will include election of officers. South Citizen Advisory Council Officer Nomination Form. Thursday March 5, 2026. 6pm at Biltmore Hills Community Center
90 to 1
The Citizen Engagement department is nothing but a bureaucracy to separate the citizens from the council. I think that as council members you would WANT to hear from the public. Is there any public accounting of the attendance at Community Engagement department events? If not, why not?
It’s our Birthday. We’re 6!
Livable Raleigh published our first blog six years ago on February 17, 2020. Just like any other six-year-old, we can’t wait to grow even bigger. So, we’re combining a “FUND-RAISER” with a “FRIEND-RAISER” as our birthday celebration. If you rely on the kind of information you are only able to find through Livable Raleigh, we need your help to grow. Tell all your friends just what a valuable source of information we are.
From Critical Listening to Critical Thinking – Councilors must justify their votes
The objective analysis and evaluation of information to form a reasoned judgement, involving questioning assumptions, identifying biases, recognizing logical connections, and considering multiple perspectives to reach well-supported conclusions, rather than accepting information at face value. When filing a rezoning case, the applicant is asking the city to increase the value of their property. They need to earn that increase in value through community benefits.
Critical Listening is KEY!
Critical listening is the process of carefully analyzing and evaluating the information presented during a communication event. It involves understanding the speaker’s intent, assessing the quality of arguments, and distinguishing between valid points and misinformation. If the majority of the City Council had taken the time to clearly explain why they disagreed with the folks that opposed the West/Peace St and North Hills rezoning requests, that would have been an example of critical listening.