Raleigh City Farm

What do community gardens have in common with shared work spaces for technology startups?   We get a lot of inquiries office space from professionals who have just moved to the Triangle.  They are attracted to the Triangle’s quality of life attributes that we read about everyday and are rightly so proud about.  And nothing epitomizes high quality of life scores more than the live, work, play attributes of the shared work space culture.   So, while none of these Commercial Real Estate inquiries ask directly about food security issues, it is because the Triangle has strong, supported food banks, food pantries, and even a large number of community gardens that technology startups are attracted here.

The connection between those in the Triangle who struggle to have basic needs met and those who could live anywhere and choose the Triangle might not be obvious.  What connects the two are the people in between — those  Rooted in Community.

What does it mean to be rooted in community?    Many sociologists, like  Richard Florida, are “dividing Americans into three classes: the mobile, who derive the benefits of economic dynamism; the stuck, who are trapped in place and unable to move; and the rooted, who are strongly embedded in their communities and choose not to”.   Much of the divisiveness in our times is found in the tension between the stuck and the mobile.   But is it the rooted who hold the key to the renewal of our communities.

The Triangle has all three groups, with the mobile class making all the top-10 list headlines.  Yet the success of the Triangle is in those who are rooted here with their commitment to the community and their helping those who are stuck pull themselves up.   We at Amy Bush Commercial have deep roots in the community, but the depth of our roots isn’t a measure of how long we live here or how many deals we have done.   There are many who have recently moved here or just started a business, but choose to plant roots and make a difference in our community.

Here’s a related calendar event:  The North Carolina State Fair is an amazing institution and everyone has their favorite activity (including those who’s favorite is choosing to avoid West Raleigh entirely during the 10 day run of the fair!).   Our favorite is the Hunger Relief Day canned-food drive which takes place on Thursday.  The canned-food collected benefits the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.  With 5 cans you get into the fair for free, but you are also demonstrating your roots in the community.