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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />CHAPTER 3: <br />SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS <br /> <br />Economic prosperity is an important feature of snstainable communities, From large urban centers such as <br />Charlotte and Raleigh, \\ith their globally based economies, to the rural communities that are home to 70 <br />percent of North Carolina's population, "economic \itality" is a centrAl feature of community sustainability, <br /> <br />This chapter begins \\ith an examination of the economic impact of Hurricane Floyd in North Carolina, \\ith <br />emphasis on implications for developmenl of long-range business loss reduction strategies, The remainder <br />of the chapter examines three vel)' diverse case studies of the application of mitigation measures to reduce <br />potential business losses, <br /> <br />ECONOMIC IMPACT OF HURRICANE FLOYD <br /> <br />The hurricanes and other natural disasters that have impacted North Carolina in the past decade have <br />occurred during a period of sustained business expansion that began in the second quarter of 1991, [n <br />many respects, the unprecedented economic gro\\1h has served as a "shock absorber" for communities <br />across the stale in recovering from natural disasters. <br /> <br />Clearly, however, the economic growth has been uneven, Much of the economic gro\\th has been centered in <br />the metropolitan areas of Charlotte and Raleigh that dominate the [-85 gro\\1h corridor, and in Wilmington, <br />which has grown rapidly with the extension of 1-40 to the coast. The economies of these three areas are <br />being propelled by the rapid gro\\1h of a \\ide variety of new, non-manufacturing industries, A new categol)' <br />of knowledge-based businesses have experienced the most rapid grOl\1h, notably in the Raleigll-Greensboro- <br />Durham-Research Triangle Park Area, <br /> <br />37 <br />