OPINION
Three-day work weeks, vacant offices, shuttered storefronts. Is the upcoming Center City 2040 Vision Plan ready for that?
“The key to its success will be for residents and leaders to dare to dream big ,” Chris Beynon, Center City Vision Plan team leader, MIG consultants, Charlotte Business Journal, August 9, 2019. “We will see our major employers on a timeline to restore the use of office space. It depends on the workforce coming […]
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 […]
Opinion: Let’s steer clear of the “D-word” when it comes to housing
“Did you know? Charlotte’s going to ban single-family zoning!” I overheard this at a local coffee shop the other day. I should have walked over and told the speaker that’s not true, but I was too shy. So let me say here, very clearly: It is not true that Charlotte planners intend to ban single-family […]
Would Charlotte be better off with less planning?
A film I recently watched at the Bechtler Museum about the planning conflicts between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses in 1950s New York City got me thinking about how issues with planners and the planning process play out today. (Disclaimer: As a teenage surfer in NYC at the time, I had a very high regard […]
Accepting change when you can’t stop it in a “tear-down” neighborhood
This is the second part in a two-part series. Read the first story here
Charlotte has 56 “tear-down” neighborhoods: Here’s a portrait of one
This is the first part in a two-part series. Read the second story here
A Brief HunterWood history lession
HunterWood and several surrounding neighborhoods were carved from 200 acres once owned by the Hunter family, whose homestead still stands on Charlotte’s Sardis Road. The Rev. John Hunter, installed as the minister at nearby Sardis Presbyterian Church in 1859, began assembling the property during the Civil War in the 1860s and lived there until he […]
Should Charlotte’s “brand” emerge organically or be something aspirational?
Common rush (Juncus effusus) is often used in riparian restoration projects. It provides cover for wildlife and helps stabilize soil and filter stormwater runoff, and it can be found throughout the Uwharries. Jim Matthews, professor emeritus at UNC Charlotte and founder of Habitat Assessment and Restoration Professionals, calls it the “Cadillac of wetland plants” because it can grow in standing water but also tolerate dry spells.
Here’s what Charlotte really, really needs from its 2040 plan
What does Charlotte really, really need from its 2040 comprehensive plan? That’s what we asked a dozen community leaders from different walks of life: Architects and planners, developers and brokers, activists and academics. The Charlotte Future 2040 plan is meant to be, well, comprehensive, covering everything from growth, new construction and zoning regulations to parks, […]
Uber and Lyft are clogging cities, hurting transit
[highlightrule]Unless local governments change transportation strategies, new traffic from rideshare companies will just mean gridlock.[/highlightrule] If you’ve used Uber or Lyft lately, you’re not alone. By the end of 2018, the total number of for-hire car rides, including conventional taxi trips and trips with services like Uber and Lyft, will approach 4.74 billion, surpassing total […]