General News
Will last year’s stagnant economic hopes change?
Charlotte-Mecklenburg residents may be growing weary of the stagnated state of the economy, the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute’s Annual Survey showed. For more than 30 years the institute has produced an annual survey of Mecklenburg County, primarily with questions from clients such as nonprofit agencies and local governments. But each year the institute includes a […]
North Carolina’s rarest butterfly needs special habitat
I wanted to know more about the rarest butterfly in North Carolina, so I caught up recently with Nick Haddad, the William Neal Reynolds Professor of Applied Ecology at N.C. State University to ask about the St. Francis’ satyr and its conservation status. First, I wanted to know, what exactly is the St. Francis’ satyr, […]
Expecting 400,000 new Charlotteans, CDOT projects $5B in transportation needs
By 2040 Charlotte will grow by 400,000 people, city transportation planners project – an increase equal to the population of the cities of Minneapolis, Cleveland, Miami or New Orleans. How can Charlotte handle all those new daily trips? The city’s Department of Transportation is proposing the city spend $5 billion over 25 years to keep […]
The wind in our willows
Myth and legend surround willow trees, as well as facts. The graceful weeping willows have long narrow leaves and limbs drooping from the tree trunk, an appearance sometimes associated with death and dying. Shakespeare uses willow trees in several of his plays, including the “Willow Song” in Othello, and in Hamlet Ophelia breaks willow branches […]
TreesCharlotte summit focuses on city tree canopy
The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute is cosponsoring the fifth annual Urban Forestry Summit by the nonprofit group TreesCharlotte on Sept. 20 at UNC Charlotte Center City. The aim of the event is to share information and discussion about topics relevant to Charlotte’s urban forest. The event is free and open to the public but registration […]
Who’s moving in? Out? Symposium takes a look
Many parts of the Carolinas, including the Charlotte region, are seeing a huge influx of newcomers. Who’s moving in, and from where? How are they reshaping decades-old demographic patterns? For instance, Census Bureau numbers released in 2014 showed that New York sent more new residents to Mecklenburg County than did any other state, followed by […]
Bring the beach to the Piedmont
Summer is winding down. Kids are heading back to school. Days will soon be shorter than nights. Labor Day weekend marks the end of peak season at the beach, but birders and fishermen flock to the coast in fall. If you plan to visit Kitty Hawk, Hatteras or Bald Head Island in the coming weeks, […]
Funds can help save farmland from development
Agriculture and agribusiness account for one-sixth of North Carolina’s economy and employees, and more than 17 percent, or $84 billion, of the $482 billion Gross State Product. It’s no wonder farmland preservation is viewed as important to the future of our state. One way agricultural lands in our state are being protected is through Voluntary […]
Mecklenburg recycling: What do you do? Know? Want?
Update: This survey has closed. The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute is helping Mecklenburg County’s Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) learn about county residents’ recycling practices and preferences. The institute has worked with LUESA on an annual phone survey for 11 years. This is the first year in which an online component has been […]
City pigeon found a new home in the countryside
Over the years, some interesting birds have turned up at our farm in the Uwharries. Mama keeps her feeders stocked all winter, and she’s been rewarded with species that will set a Piedmont birder’s heart aflutter: an evening grosbeak, a black-headed grosbeak, and the extremely rare yellow-headed blackbird. This summer, she had another unusual visitor: […]