General News
As Arbor Day nears, time to learn a better way to plant trees
In North Carolina, we observe Arbor Day on the first Friday after March 15.Got that? Can you do the math? Let alone remember to put it on your calendar? Besides being an unnecessarily complicated date, it’s perilously late in the season to plant a tree in the N.C. Piedmont. The Arbor Day Foundation encourages states […]
State bonds reflect N.C. history as well as today’s outlook
When I came to UNC Charlotte as director of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute in 2003, the campus didn’t look all that different from the campus I visited in the 1980s to see family and friends at what many in the region still referred to as a “commuter school.” And for those students who traveled […]
A city of trees, but for how long? Canopy is loved but threatened
[highlightrule]Trees reduce air pollution, improve water quality, save energy costs, reduce storm water runoff and enhance property values. And some would say Charlotte’s tree canopy also shapes the soul of the city.[/highlightrule] In Charlotte, a widespread passion about trees inspires a special sort of community activism, marked by a keen admiration of the beauty of […]
Final City Walks this weekend: Retro Uptown and Rail Trail Slow Ride
FIND INFORMATION HERE ABOUT MAY 2017 CITY WALKS NEW: GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR IDEAS YOU COME UP WITH ON A CITY WALK Get to know your neighbors and discover neighborhood stories by leading or taking part in a City Walk. City Walks are a series of free neighborhood walks—walking conversations—that put people in touch with their […]
Bicycling in the city gets two big pushes
Two new, high-visibility bicycling campaigns rolled out this week, each an attempt to get more Charlotteans riding—and with more support from the city. The most noticeable will be an Open Streets event on May 1, in which a city street, I this instance North Davidson Street, will be closed to motor vehicle traffic but open […]
These trees are the champions
[highlightrule]A little-known registry of Champion Trees includes 15 of Charlotte’s most magnificent trees, bringing more than a title to the Queen City’s crown.[/highlightrule] While civic pride reached heightened levels in Charlotte when the Carolina Panthers made it to Super Bowl 50 as NFC champions, it turns out there is another group of extra large, equally […]
A ‘winning strategy’ for air quality? Better city design
Local air quality, says Brian Magi, is “a resource we should cherish and protect.” And it’s the subject of some of the more wide-ranging research he has underway. Magi is assistant professor of atmospheric sciences at UNC Charlotte in the Geography and Earth Sciences Department. He spoke about what he has learned so far about […]
Planners roll out detailed game plan for new ordinance
When Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles convened the Charlotte City Council’s five-member Transportation and Planning Committee on Feb. 8, the City Council members may not have realized just how much Ed McKinney, the city’s interim planning director, was about to reveal in his progress report on a new city zoning ordinance. At the last update […]
Today’s backyard pests were once tasty prey
In neighborhoods like mine in Charlotte, squirrels are generally considered a nuisance. A dearth of predators and an abundance of acorns sustain an unnaturally large population. The scoundrels raid our birdfeeders and pilfer fruits and vegetables from our tiny food plots. (I know a woman who pops them with an airsoft rifle when they perch […]
In Charlotte housing debate, let’s look at underlying factors
For many decades, the complex and difficult challenges of housing low-income Charlotteans have been the source of local studies, public debate, public policy formation and a variety of actions. This short paper is intended to trace the evolution of the challenges in Charlotte and the responses to them, with an eye toward the future for […]