General News

Since 2012-2013 test results were released Nov. 7 there has been a flurry of publicity about the Common Core standards. The Charlotte Observer has had strong coverage of the topic, as has the News & Observer of Raleigh. (Example: “Common Core essential to student growth,” a commentary by Superintendents Heath Morrison of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and […]

Mary Newsom, associate director of urban and regional affairs at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, will moderate a panel of local experts Thursday at AARP’s “Making a More Livable Mecklenburg Summit.” Speakers will include Charlotte City Manager Ron Carlee and Mayor Patsy Kinsey. The event will explore Charlotte’s evolution into a larger city and how […]

Want to guess the large U.S. city rated worst for walkability by Walk Score®, the national rating system? That would be the Queen City. Here’s a link to its 2014 report. The top-rated city was New York, followed by San Francisco, Boston, Washington and Miami. Essentially, Walk Score measure how many amenities are within easy […]

How do we use maps in the modern world? Your smart phone, GPS, digital camera and daily weather report all use modern versions of maps called geographic information systems. GIS day is an event that helps explain the growing importance of this technology in daily life. Want to attend? Location: Spirit Square Center for the […]

A new, 4-mile extension of the Uwharrie National Recreation Trail, along with a new trailhead, will be dedicated Dec. 8. The trailhead will be named in honor of Joe Moffitt, the founder and visionary behind the creation of the trail.

In my previous article, I explored how those of us in the South have become estranged from our grasslands. This time, I want to help us get reacquainted with some of our native grasses. Gardeners, ranchers, hunters and birders all have reason to meet these beautiful, practical and productive species. Many gardeners already know the […]

The South Yadkin River, only ten minutes from Salisbury, has several interesting stretches. Recently, The LandTrust for Central North Carolina hosted a kayak trip there. Our trip began at the launch site on U.S. Highway 601 South and ended at a public access area at the end of Hannah Ferry Road. Both of these locations […]

A strong majority of Mecklenburg County residents surveyed said they think there’s solid evidence the Earth has warmed in recent decades. An even larger majority said it’s a somewhat or very serious problem. Yet despite nearly unanimous consensus among climate scientists that global climate change is occurring due to human activity, only about half the […]

Welcome to a new look for the PlanCharlotte.org web pages. You’ll find all the content from our previous set of pages, but with a new look. Why change? We have several reasons. It was time for a fresh look at our website, which we launched in March 2012. We also wanted a design that was, […]

A U.S. Postal Service change requiring the use of centralized box units in new neighborhoods is causing problems in some developments being forced to switch in mid-construction. Joe Padilla of the Charlotte-based Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, an industry advocacy group, alerted planners and elected officials to the change in home-delivery strategies at an […]