General News

By Mia Gaddy and Liz Morrell

Food insecurity is not always obvious.  

It occurs when someone is experiencing limited or inadequate access to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food due to social or economic constraints. 18 million people in the United States are experiencing food insecurity, and of that 18 million, 6.8 million face both food insecurity and hunger.

Food insecurity impacts thousands of residents in Mecklenburg County. While the region continues to grow, gaps in access persist […]

By Asha Ellison

Though gun violence in Fayetteville is still often discussed in headlines and is subject to public debate, a closer look at the data tells a more nuanced story. In 2024, the City of Fayetteville commissioned the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute to further assess gun violence across the city.

Using a mixed-methods approach, the Institute analyzed crime data, community focus groups in ShotSpotter neighborhoods, and cost estimates to better understand both the reality of violence and how it is perceived across the city […]

By Annalise Tolley

Many of us have been here: Enjoying our spring, taking in the beautiful blue skies–pleasantly surprised that our Benadryl has kept the pollen symptoms at bay–when we see it. There in the garden, getting cozy with the things we actually planted, sprouting tall in defiance, are those pesky weeds. As we enter the woodshed to prepare for our faceoff, we have two options:  Use the weed wacker or use the weeding fork

The weed wacker is an enticing option. It solves the eye sore problem without nearly as much effort, though the satisfaction may be short-lived. Weeds tend to quickly pop up again in the same spot. On the other hand, the weeding fork extracts the weed at its roots. We’ll have to get our hands dirty and it’ll take all afternoon, but at least it won’t pop up again in the same spot. Not to mention, removing […]

By Rachel George, Ph.D., Sydney Idzikowski, Carlene Mayfield, Ph.D., and Pooja Palmer

The Charlotte Regional Data Trust brings together data that typically exist in silos to better understand the complicated issues our communities face.

For instance, when you go to the doctor, information is collected and stored about you and your needs. But, the doctor is not the only entity that impacts your health; your housing environment and food supports also play a role, and information about these other elements of your life exist in separate systems. By combining information, a more comprehensive understanding of health can be obtained to inform effective decision-making about your care and desired outcomes […]

By Mae Israel

A major corporate donation has pushed the Three Sisters Market closer to a groundbreaking and opening date. The market, an effort long-championed by west Charlotte leaders and supported by Johnson C. Smith University and UNC Charlotte, will be the first grocery store in Charlotte’s West Boulevard corridor in nearly 40 years – and the first cooperative market in the city. 

Wells Fargo, among the largest banking institutions in the city, announced Tuesday, April 7, 2026, a $1.5 million grant to the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition. The coalition, which is building the market, hopes to begin construction by the end of the year […]

By Mia Gaddy and Mecca Howe, Ph.D.

Federal administrative changes in 2025 led to funding cuts for nonprofit organizations, also known as NPOs. NPOs often rely on federal funding to support programming, either directly or through funding that passes through state and local governments. The Charlotte Urban Institute partnered with the Foundation for the Carolinas […]

By Angelique Gaines and Asha Ellison

Preferred news and information sources vary by geographic location. How people access news and information–and who they trust to relay it–are important to establishing a healthy and informed community. But how do we ensure that communities and the people who live within them are engaged with the news and […]

Toye Watson ‘05 B.A., ‘21 M.Ed was recently named director of community and strategic partnerships for the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, a unit within the Division of Academic Affairs. In this role, Watson will cultivate and sustain relationships with community organizations for mutually beneficial community-university engagement, connecting the Institute and University’s assets and deep subject […]

By Sydney Idzikowski and Austin Trujillo

The Charlotte Regional Data Trust brings together data that typically exist in silos to inform effective decision-making and better understand the complicated issues our communities face. Over the past ten years, the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and Mecklenburg County Community Support Services have worked together to advance data-driven efforts to address housing instability and homelessness.

Here, we dive deep into what we’ve learned together through linking data about people experiencing homelessness to better understand how people are served across systems […]

Sarah Ostyn, The Early Action Project

Young people hear many messages about what comes next in life: go to college, start a career, move up. For many college students with disabilities, however, the path from school to work is far less straightforward. Between 12 and 19 percent of college students report having a disability, and for many of them, preparing for life after graduation involves challenges that extend well beyond coursework. As a result, young adults with disabilities are far less likely than their peers to enter the workforce feeling prepared.

A recent study by UNC Charlotte professors and Gambrell Faculty Fellows Othelia EunKyoung Lee, Ph.D., and Stella Y. Kim, Ph.D., takes a closer […]