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We agree that Raleigh is in the midst of a change, one that will affect the city's soul. The fight over public art is a good example. While some hoped Raleigh would install a large, multicolored piece by a world-famous modern artist, others simply wanted to find a nice spot for the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh.

"I think souls change over time," Quercia says. The image one has of another city -- San Francisco, maybe -- has more to do with location and history than with what the city offers in a particular time and space.

I ask him what defines the image of Raleigh on a national scale. "The short answer to that is: I'm not sure," he says. "But I can give you a guess."

Raleigh is known for being attractive to business. It has quality schools and the Carolina Hurricanes.

True. These are important aspects for image. If we could tie them together with some more attitude and style, maybe we'll be on to something.

Our downtown of the future might be part of that package. I ask Quercia if all this disagreement about the direction in which its headed can affect what soul is already here.

It can, he says. But cities are resilient.

A city's buildings are fixed in stone. Its character and soul are not.

I hope Raleigh becomes the kind of city with an identity that people instantly recognize and a soul they can feel. The kind of place where strangers on the sidewalk still nod to each other, even though it might seem like too big a city for that. A place where even though its people might be from other parts of the world, it doesn't feel like it. A place where those strangers feel as if they must be in Raleigh, North Carolina, and nowhere else in the world.

Quercia's remarks give me some confidence that Raleigh will find its true soul. No matter what shape downtown takes, or even if we sprout enough sprawl to build a third beltline.

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