Raleigh Growth Lessons from Austin
Austin grew fast—now it’s recalibrating. Here’s what Raleigh can take from it.
Austin did everything right—until it didn’t: the boom, the cranes, the companies, the people.
Then came the traffic outpacing infrastructure, housing many can’t afford, and a city so under construction it’s, as one Raleighite who recently visited tells RM, “a chaotic mess—every street torn up, cranes everywhere… for two years now.” So goes the cautionary tale.
Even a recent Austin Monthly cover story questioned the trade-offs of that transformation: “Our funky small town has transformed into a mighty metropolis with high-rises, Michelin-starred cuisine, and international appeal. Is that a good thing?”
While it’s not a perfect “apples-to-apples” comparison, says Raleigh Economic Development Director Kyle Touchstone, the parallels are hard to ignore. As Raleigh sits just a few steps behind on a similar trajectory, the question isn’t how to grow—it’s how to avoid fallout. Sometimes the clearest roadmap forward comes from watching where others went off track. On the heels of his return to Austin this spring—part intel, part SXSW—we tapped Touchstone for his key takeaways.
Infrastructure Can’t Lag
Austin didn’t stall because people stopped coming—it stalled because the city couldn’t keep up with those who did. As growth accelerated, infrastructure lagged—roads, transit and long-range planning all playing catch-up to a population that had already arrived. The challenge, says Touchstone, is timing. “Building infrastructure to keep up with population growth… is always a tricky balancing act.” But waiting until the need is obvious is already too late. Raleigh, though, still has a window. With the S-Line and broader transit planning, the region is attempting to build ahead of demand—not behind it.
Be Intentional
In many ways, boldness is what built Austin. A familiar playbook is unfolding in Raleigh, with sound investments being designed to anchor the city’s next phase—think world-class Dix Park, Red Hat Amphitheater, the Raleigh Convention Center expansion and the incoming Omni Hotel. “Austin has been bold,” nods Touchstone—“and Raleigh can be too.” “I don’t think Raleigh is on the path to being Anytown, USA,” he adds. “We’re on a path to being a bigger, bolder and better Raleigh.” The Cap City is no longer planning for who she might become—she’s actively becoming it. And the decisions being made now—density, transit, affordability, design—will determine whether that growth feels cohesive or chaotic. Ultimately, growth is inevitable—keeping it intentional is critical.
Affordability Is Everything
Fast growth doesn’t just drive demand—it drives prices. And in Austin, that shift happened quickly. As housing costs climbed, affordability became less of a challenge to manage and more of a defining issue for who could stay, who could move in and how the city functioned. “Making sure Raleigh is safe and affordable is always on my mind,” says Touchstone, pointing to the need for a steady pipeline of housing at all levels—supported by faster, more flexible development and permitting. Affordability isn’t something to fix later—it’s the factor that shapes everything.
Keep the Cool Factor
Austin still has its edge—but it looks different than it used to. It hasn’t lost its identity—“the heart of Texas is still ‘weird,’ and they own it,” Touchstone emphasizes—but in pockets like Rainey Street, an iconic strip of bungalow bars and patios now dotted with high-rises, the shift is visible. That tension is inevitable: “Rapid growth forces cities to be creative about growth, investments and maintaining identities,” he says. Raleigh is already having the same conversation around how to add density without losing the personality that made people want to move here in the first place. “No doubt growth changes a city,” adds Touchstone. “Austin has seen it; we’ve seen it.” The challenge is deciding what’s worth keeping before it’s gone.
More Isn’t Better
In a boom cycle, more can feel like the answer—units, towers, development—and Austin shows the risk in that angle. As supply surged, the balance got harder to maintain—creating pressure points around vacancy, pricing swings, and how much is too much, too fast. The goal, says Touchstone, is ensuring “ample housing supply… supported by timely permitting” across income levels. But scale without calibration is where things get wobbly. Raleigh is still in her build era—but the lesson is in the pacing: not just how much goes up, but how quickly and for whom.
