General News

Islay Walden’s Uwharries story is relevant today

Here we are in the midst of graduation season. Even though the school experience has been different for the past year, young people are still celebrating this milestone and figuring out what to do with the rest of their lives. In rural areas like the Uwharries, that often means leaving for opportunities in other places. […]

Watch our virtual transportation and economic mobility panel

Categories: General News Tags: ECONOMY

How does the ability to move around our city influence one’s ability to move up the economic ladder? That was the topic of our second Schul Conversation, a virtual discussion series bringing together experts to discuss different aspects of economic mobility in our region. The panel featured Charlotte’s Assistant City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba, UNC Charlotte […]

The 2020 Census: What data are coming, what will we know – and when?

Categories: General News Tags: Census, Demographics, Housing

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, […]

Are bus-only lanes a key part of Charlotte’s transit future?

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 […]

Charlotte’s nowhere near the finish line for its development rules rewrite

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 […]

Instead of just increasing supply, planners look to manage transportation demand

Categories: General News Tags: Transit, TRANSPORTATION

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 […]

Growing up together: Charlotte, the Urban Institute and a time for change

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 named interim director of Urban Institute

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 […]

Grissoms awarded Partners in Flight stewardship award

Categories: General News Tags: ENVIRONMENT

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 […]

A remarkable spring of hope

Categories: General News Tags: ENVIRONMENT, Gardening

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, […]