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Why not 1 billion Americans — or 3 million Charlotteans?
   August 1, 2022
Aaron Houck

Quick–wherever you are, look at the people around you, or remember the last time you were in a group. Now imagine the group tripling in size. That’s the America Matthew Yglesias desires. In his book One Billion Americans, Yglesias argues that the U.S., with its 330 million people, is “empty,” with depressing future consequences for the nation and the world. His thesis: the U.S. should...

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Who you befriend affects your economic mobility
   August 1, 2022
Ely Portillo

When it comes to economic mobility – low-income children’s ability to rise from poverty – we’ve known for a while that where you live influences your chances of success. Now, a new study suggests it’s not just where you live, but who you know that can tip the odds.

A vast new project...

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Data show Charlotte remains dangerous for pedestrians
   July 19, 2022
Ely Portillo

Here’s another paradox from the COVID-19 pandemic: People drove less, but the streets got more deadly.

That’s especially true for pedestrians, a new report from Smart Growth America shows. “Dangerous by Design,” the group’s annual report highlighting pedestrian fatalities, shows that over 6,500 people were hit and killed while walking in 2020 – a 4.5% increase over 2019.

And...

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How fast is Charlotte losing its tree canopy? No one knows
   July 18, 2022
Ely Portillo

Charlotte’s losing three football fields a day worth of trees – or, at least, we were from 2012 to 2018. But after four more years of a torrid building boom, no one can say with any certainty whether that loss has accelerated, slowed down or remains unchanged.

The city of Charlotte hopes to soon begin work on an updated tree canopy analysis, to figure out how tree coverage is changing...

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How 'neighborhood defenders' and local government can worsen inequality
   July 18, 2022
Aaron Houck


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Try the ‘bucket of doom’ to eliminate mosquitoes without harmful pesticides
   July 15, 2022
Ruth Ann Grissom

Bucket of Doom. A slasher movie from the 1970s? The latest season of Fortnite? No, but for many homeowners, it might be something equally thrilling – an effective, inexpensive and safe way to control mosquitos. 

Five-gallon buckets are often a source of standing water where mosquitos can breed. This simple idea turns that around so the humble bucket becomes your ally in the fight for...

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Charlotte plans bus service cuts amidst staffing problems
   July 11, 2022
Ely Portillo

As the Charlotte Area Transit System continues struggling to fill bus driver positions, the agency could soon implement bus service cuts to deal with the shortage and create a more reliable schedule.

For months, CATS has been dealing with a flood of unscheduled sick days, which the transit agency has blamed on a “loophole” in its contract with drivers allowing them to take up to 40...

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Introducing the Charlotte Regional Data Trust
   July 11, 2022
Lori Thomas

Dr. Lori Thomas

Our community’s challenges extend past any one silo, organization or jurisdictional line. Public education systems address hunger, health,...

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Corporate landlords include exclusionary language in rental housing listings
   July 7, 2022
Ely Portillo

A new study of online rental housing advertisements in Charlotte found that corporate landlords are more likely to include potentially exclusionary language in their listings, and those listings are largely concentrated in minority communities. 

That’s one of the key results from a study by UNC Charlotte scholars Providence Adu, a PhD Student in the Department of Geography and Earth...

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Building some 'there' there: Transforming University City
   June 29, 2022
Ely Portillo

One of Charlotte's quintessential suburban communities has big plans to transform itself into a dense, walkable, mixed-use center. Greenways, sidewalks, protected bike lanes and transit would replace the car-choked expressways and huge parking lots that dominate the auto-centric area now. 

We're not talking about Ballantyne or SouthPark. Leaders in University City — Charlotte's second-...

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