Articles
As community members and researchers, we are eagerly awaiting the results of the 2020 census. Here are some answers to common questions we’ve received about what’s happening. What data does the 2020 census include? The decennial census (2020) is required to be completed by every household in the U.S. The primary purpose of the census, […]
This story is part of the Transit Time newsletter, a partnership between the Urban Institute, the Charlotte Ledger and WFAE. Find out more and subscribe here. For six months, commuters and residents near Central Avenue in east Charlotte faced an unfamiliar sight: “BUS ONLY” emblazoned on one general-purpose lane in each direction, in the city’s […]
With straw votes on the controversial elements and the final adoption of Charlotte’s new vision plan looming in the next month, there’s a sense that the city’s reaching a finale in the years-long process of rewriting its development rules. But adopting the vision plan might end up – surprisingly – being one of the easier […]
When it comes to transportation and transit needs, people usually think of increasing the supply: Adding more lanes, building more rail lines, buying more buses. What about lowering or shifting demand, instead? That was the topic Wednesday for a group focused on regional transportation needs and expanding transit choices. “The term ‘transportation demand management’ simply […]
After 18 years as director of UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute, it’s time to move on. And it’s only appropriate that the same field that first introduced me to the institute’s work is now leading me away to a new chapter, serving as North Carolinas’ Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources. My introduction to the institute came […]
Dr. Lori Thomas, Director of Research and Faculty Engagement at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, will assume the role of Interim Director of the institute effective May 1. Thomas will replace Jeff Michael, the Institute’s long-time director, who is leaving the position April 30 after serving 18 years to become North Carolina’s Deputy Secretary for […]
For over a decade, readers of the Urban Institute’s weekly e-newsletter have enjoyed the nature essays of Charlotte conservationist Ruth Ann Grissom, often inspired by the habitat restoration work that she and her sister Amy Grissom have been leading in the Uwharries, about an hour east of Charlotte. Now, an international organization has taken note […]
What an amazing spring! I’ve heard that sentiment from so many people. When a Facebook friend posted a video of the glorious purple and lilac azaleas across from the post office in Mt. Gilead, scores of people responded. I always enjoy the progression of wildflowers in forests of the Uwharries and in my own backyard, […]
For many families, the cost of owning and maintaining a car is a serious burden. Others who lack transportation have to spend hours a day on the bus. For all of us, traffic and congestion lower our quality of life and steal our time. And in a growing region like Charlotte, where you can afford […]
In the months since opposition to Charlotte’s new 2040 Comprehensive Vision Plan started building, staff and City Council have held forums, rehashed the plan in committee meetings, responded to hundreds of public comments and started tinkering with how to modify rules about what can be built where. But the heart of the matter, and the […]
As Mecklenburg County hammers out its budget priorities for the coming year, advocates for the park and recreation system are hoping to see a big funding increase. At a presentation Tuesday, the Park & Recreation Commission, a citizen advisory board, suggested dramatically increasing funding for the county’s parks. That’s after Park & Recreation Director Lee […]
In Charlotte’s new transit and mobility plans, multibillion-dollar light rail lines tend to get most of the attention. But the delay in a planned 1-cent sales tax referendum is having a big effect on another, less flashy part of the system that actually carries many more riders: Buses. The Charlotte Area Transit System has been […]