Quality of Life
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Vote for your favorite N.C. Great Place
For another 10 days the public can vote to choose North Carolina’s best Main Street and best public place, part of a statewide awards program. Four Charlotte-area places are among the contestants: Main Streets in Belmont and Mooresville, and North Davidson Street in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood are among the contestants for Great Main Street. Charlottes […]
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Why you can’t toss these into your recycling bin
Shredded paper Paper is a popular recycling item so it may seem a bit puzzling that shredded paper is on the do-not-toss list for your curbside recycling bin. It’s just too small for the sorting machines used at Mecklenburg’s recycling processing facility. It can be composted, put in the recycling container at your grocery store […]
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The story behind your recycling bin
Tucked at the end of a dead-end street in an industrial area just north of uptown Charlotte, Mecklenburg’s recycling processing plant sits as a storyteller of the area’s challenges in figuring out how to reduce its dependence on landfills. KEEPING WATCH This article is part of the three-year KEEPING WATCH initiative. Learn more about the […]
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High court rail-trails decision won’t affect N.C.
A recent Supreme Court decision has some trail advocates worried about the fate of the national rails-to-trails program, but the ruling is unlikely to affect North Carolina. The case, Brandt Revocable Trust v. United States, has to do with who retains the property rights to abandoned railroad right of ways. The national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and […]
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Resources for neighborhoods
Whether you want to look up data or understand an issue or trend affecting the Charlotte region, the online resources of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute are available to help you. There are also many other programs on campus that work with local groups. The institute offers articles and data on a range of issues […]
Institute official to moderate AARP ‘livability’ panel
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 […]
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Charlotte transit stations: realizing development potential?
Development patterns along Charlotte’s Blue Line, which opened in November 2007, show a mixed bag of more low-density neighborhoods than planners recommend, but still a blend of homes, workplaces and stores. That means the corridor is brimming with opportunity for its 15 station areas to develop more intensely, and in a way that puts walkable, […]
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Mary Newsom
(Read the full article about the contest winners here.)
Although all excellent photos speak for themselves, sometimes comments from the photographer add another layer of meaning.
Kevin J. Beaty, about his photos of the Torance House and Store and of uptown Charlotte: “We used to call it the ‘Ghost House’ when I was a kid, so approaching it late at night to get this shot was particularly scary.” (Read about the house here.) And: “On a warm night, uptown Charlotte is a fantastic place for a long romantic walk ended, of course, with a Sabrett's hotdog and a Coke.”
Jason Walser, about his photo of a rural Rowan County field: “I snapped this photo of a conserved property in western Rowan County off of White Road. (I) looked east towards the sunrise. Roosters were crowing in the distance when I took this, and it was the only sound I could hear. I … felt like I was part of something special as West Rowan County came alive between 6:30 and 7 a.m. Cows mooing, birds chirping, and roosters crowing. This is a beautiful place that, thanks to conservation efforts, will look pretty much just like this for countless generations to follow.”
Michael J. Solender, about his photo of the Firebird: “One Charlotte place I love is the plaza in front of the Bechtler Museum at the Levine Avenue of the Arts and South Tryon Street. I especially enjoy it at night when the Firebird gleams and the foot traffic from the adjacent Knight Theater spills out onto the plaza. I took this photo when my sister-in-law was in town for a show, and the moment I took the photo the plaza was clear – moments later it was filled with people.”
From Fitz Lee of Charlotte, about his creek photo: “There is about a 50-yard stretch of Briar Creek behind Myers Park High School that I feel is Mother Nature's proudest display. From most vantage points it appears that you are hundreds of miles away from the city. Beautiful rock-laden waterway covered with low-hanging greenery - great hangout for all kinds of birds."
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Winner, by Kevin Beaty A spooky look at the historic Hugh Torance House in north Mecklenburg County. Photo: Kevin J. Beaty](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2013/04/KevinBeaty06-WINNER1-300x300.jpg)
Beloved places in the Piedmont
(Read the full article about the contest winners here.) Although all excellent photos speak for themselves, sometimes comments from the photographer add another layer of meaning. Kevin J. Beaty, about his photos of the Torance House and Store and of uptown Charlotte: “We used to call it the ‘Ghost House’ when I was a kid, […]
![](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/02/RS3968_Mint_Hill_008-300x300.jpg)
Easy access to work? Charlotte’s not atop list
Charlotte ranks near the bottom in a recent study of access to jobs via automobiles in the top 51 U.S. metro areas. Raleigh ranks even lower. The study, Access Across America, by David Levinson, the R.P. Braun/CTS Chair in Transportation Engineering at the University of Minnesota, ranks the Charlotte metro area No. 40, with the […]
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Charlotte spends a day learning about data
Understanding the wealth of publicly available data can be both exciting and overwhelming. But plenty of people are eager to try. More than 150 neighborhood organizers, nonprofit leaders, local government staff, academics, and interested citizens gathered Tuesday at UNC Charlotte’s Center City building for the inaugural Charlotte Data Day. Hosted by the UNC Charlotte Urban […]