Addressing the Challenges of Growth in North Carolina

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Addressing the Challenges of Growth in North
Carolina

• Leslie J. Winner
• Executive Director
• July 2008

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The Sheer Pace of Growth
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(No Transcript)
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Growth brings Cultural Changes

• Three streams of in-migration
• Caucasians coming from other states and regions
  to work and retire
• Black Americans returning to the Southabout
  600,000 between 1990 and 2000
• Asians and Latinos born in other countries
• Before we were white and black, and almost
  everyone was born in NC.
• Now, we are many ethnicities and 40 of people
  living in NC were born elsewhere.

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Growth of Hispanic Population

• Between 2000 and 2004,
• NC grew by 5
• White populations grew by 3
• Black population grew by 1
• Hispanic population grew by 41,
• 57 (45K of 79K) of the public school growth
  between 2000-2004 was Hispanic
• Hispanic people are 7 of the total NC population

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In-migration brings an opportunity

• To constructively engage new North Carolinians in
  our communities
• Enrich culturebroaden worldview
• Utilize skillsof immigrants and retirees
• Encourage investment of volunteer time and
  financial resources
• To build inter-ethnic trust

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The Graying of NC
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Examples of graying

• Almost half of NC workforce was born in 1964 or
  before the median age is about 44 years old
• Average age of tenure track and tenured faculty
  at UNC-CH is over 50
• Number of people in NC over 65 is expected to
  almost double by 2020

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NC Hispanics are younger

• 55.4 are between ages 18 44, the childbearing
  years
• Only 37.4 of the states non-Hispanics are in
  this age range
• If we are going to have an educated workforce as
  baby boomers retire, we will need to invest in
  educating Hispanic students

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Growth and economy

• Loss of core industriestobacco, furniture,
  textilesnow only 7
• Resource gaps are growing
• Between 2000 and 2004 poverty up from 11.7 to
  13.8
• Only college grads saw real wage increase HS
  dropouts had wage decrease of 10
• Only 68 of NC 9th graders graduate H.S. in 4
  yrs.

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Growth can bring disparity

• Pathway jobs for people without higher education
  have disappeared
• New economygood jobs for well educated
  peoplebiotech, design, pharmaceuticals
• Jobs that do not pay living wage for
  uneducatedagriculture, hospitality
• Growth of retirees and second homes bring mostly
  low wage, service sector jobs

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One answer Extend access to higher education

• NC Commission on Workforce development estimates
  that NC needs to produce annually 15,000 more
  workers with a bachelors degree and 19,000 with a
  two-year degree.
• The UNC Tomorrow Report found that UNC will need
  to expand by 80,000 students by 2017.

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Growth and the Environment

• Growth increases demand for energy,
  transportation, food, housing developments, water
  and sewer
• Growth also increases the need for recreational
  areasloving our beaches to death

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Growth creates Environmental Challenges

• Electricity demand will double by 2020
• NC lost 1 million acres of forests in the last
  decade
• Coastal development has destroyed estuaries and
  breading grounds combined with over fishing, 2/3
  of commercially fished species threatened
• Climate changedraught/ flood/ rising sea levels

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Nine Solutions for the Environment(per Jane
Preyer of EDF)

• Energy
• Develop home grown and clean energy supplies
• Reward energy efficiencyCalifornia uses 50 less
  energy per capita than NC
• Create new jobs in sustainable industries
• Water
• Create a realistic State water plan
• Restore water quality and aquatic habitat

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Environmental Solutions (cont.)

• Air
• Protect air from smokestack and tailpipe
  pollutionincluding developing more efficient
  means of transportation
• Other Resources
• Protect forests and grasslands
• Rebuild fisheries and coastal habitats
• Integrate communities into the conservation
  effort

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We Can Choose
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Growth and NCs Infrastructure

• A growing population needs more roads, schools
  and colleges, water lines, sewage treatment and
  protection of green space.
• NCs growth takes place in the context of a state
  with billions of dollars of infrastructure needs
  and antiquated financing mechanisms to fund them.

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Some projected needs(B- Billion!!)

• Water, sewer and stormwater--6.85 B by 2010
  16.6 B by 2030
• Schools--10 B by 2011266 new schools, 657
  renovations, 903 additions
• Plus court houses, prisons, colleges, and land
  conservation
• Transportation--124 B by 2030 compared to
  estimated available revenue of 59 B
• We will also need additional workers teachers,
  mental health workers, police officers

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Addressing the Needs

• Planning to minimize cultural, environmental and
  fiscal costs
• Coastal and mountain land use
• Urban efforts to reduce sprawl and coordinate
  housing density with transportation
• Infrastructure must be environmentally
  sustainable
• Tax modernization
• Land transfer tax
• Tax on services

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Growth for our Future

• Growth can bring renewal and vibrancy
• Growth also brings challenges
• NC will grow
• We must address the challenges to continue to
  have communities that are
• Socially healthy
• Economically viable
• Environmentally sustainable