General News

How do you make a sprawling city that came of age in the automobile era less car-dependent? One approach: Don’t devote so much space to cars. That’s the thinking behind the Joinery, a new, 83-unit apartment complex that’s opening just north of the Parkwood station on the Blue Line light rail. The six-story building has […]

As investors — including Wall Street-backed single-family rental companies — buy more homes across Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, the city of Charlotte is considering changes to some of its homeownership assistance programs. Buyers in the region face record-high prices and record-low inventory. In January, the median sales price in the Charlotte region was almost $350,000 […]

Bradford pears are a problem. For years, I didn’t want to admit it. I’d drive the highways of the Piedmont and the backroads of the Uwharries in early spring, noting the occasional white-blooming tree at the edge of the woods and trying to convince myself they weren’t as invasive as privet. And then came the […]

This story was originally published in Transit Time, a collaborative newsletter published by The Charlotte Ledger, WFAE and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. Like a lot of roads in the Charlotte region, Matthews Township Parkway (N.C. 51) is becoming more congested. Apartments, office buildings and shopping centers are cropping up nearby. Downtown Matthews is becoming […]

Charlotte is planning to ask voters this year to approve more than $100 million worth of new transportation bonds — an amount that would allow the city to make progress on goals like building more sidewalks but still fall short of covering many crucial needs. Municipal bonds aren’t quite as sexy as a multibillion-dollar new […]

This story was originally published in Transit Time, a collaboration between the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, WFAE and the Charlotte Ledger. A new report from outside consultants says Charlotte transit leaders should consider changing the planned Silver Line light rail route through uptown, in order to attract enough passengers to have a better chance of […]

Pam Murray sees Charlotte through different eyes — and from a different seat — than most people as she moves about the city. Murray, one of the biggest bicycle advocates in Charlotte, uses her bike for everything from getting groceries to hauling furniture. She bikes somewhere around 20 miles a day on average, only using […]

Charlotte is a fast-growing city where the skyline changes by the month and neighborhoods are reshaped at a disorienting pace. But there are a multitude of data sources to help you understand the city and your community. You can start with interactive maps like the Quality of Life Explorer (produced by the Urban Institute in […]

For those who are partial to the charms of a lush forest in spring and summer, don’t throw shade on the winter woods – they’re far from rigid and stark. Sourwood trees animate the slopes and ridges of the Uwharries with their contorted and even whimsical shapes. They bring a prankish personality to the stately […]

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is one of the busiest hubs in the world, despite the city of Charlotte’s modest size. That disproportionate air service is usually cited as one of the city’s biggest economic advantages, making the airport one of our most important economic engines. But COVID-19 impacted the air travel industry in a profound […]