General News

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and its partners at the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Quality of Life Explorer during 2023-2024. How can we understand Charlotte’s urban growth more holistically? With the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Quality of Life Explorer, of course. With it, we can also identify the spatial and […]

December marks the midpoint in our academic and fiscal calendars at UNC Charlotte. It’s a time when the buzz of the holiday season adds a layer of exams, grading, and graduation. And just as quickly, faculty and staff on campus begin preparing for the semester to come, the remainder of the academic year. Sometimes it’s […]

I always scan those year-end “best of” lists for new reading material. In that spirit, I’d like to share the books I’ve read this past year related to nature and the environment. The books appear roughly in the order I read them, not in any order of preference. Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers […]

What happens to the community needs of an existing population when out-of-town movers relocate to their city? Do they dry up like raisins in the sun? Not exactly, but the resources existing residents need to thrive, and the amenities they desire, could be reprioritized if they aren’t equally shared – or aligned – with those […]

Despite higher housing costs, more adults in Mecklenburg County are living on their own. Over the past eight years, Mecklenburg County has seen a decrease in the number of adults living with non-relatives (presumably roommates), and an increase of adults living alone, or with their own children. Fewer adults are doubling-up. In 2022, about one […]

As leaves waft through the air and settle on the ground in the coming weeks, it’s a good time to consider that many butterflies, moths, fireflies, bees and other beneficial insects spend at least some portion of their life cycle in or under the leaf litter beneath our native trees. The term soft landing might […]

The Charlotte region is known for its dynamic and fast-growing population, but it turns out that more residents than ever are staying in place. Residential mobility can be measured by looking at the percentage of people who have lived in their homes for a year or more – the longer people stay in their homes, […]

NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS ENDED. PLEASE VIEW THE RECAP HERE OR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. There is art everywhere in the Charlotte region – as far as the eye can see. Although increasingly visible, are we making the most of it? The Charlotte region brims with robust arts and cultural resources from live […]

Asha Ellison has been named director of research translation and engagement for the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, part of urbanCORE, a unit within the Division of Academic Affairs. Her official start date was Monday, September 18. In this role, she will amplify the work of the Institute’s leaders, researchers, faculty and students on a local […]

Before John Muir became known for his ramblings in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada, he trekked through the South from Kentucky to Florida. In 1867, at the age of 28, Muir suffered a workplace accident he feared would leave him permanently blind. Within a few months, he had fully recovered, but his experience prompted him […]