General News
Don’t scrap protest petitions, a vital tool against harmful rezonings
It is exasperating that, once again, North Carolina homeowners face the prospect of losing the ability to file a protest petition in rezonings. The most recent effort – a bill that has passed the N.C. House – represents the third time in less than three years that our state has been threatened with the loss […]
Beauty and beasts: Where are Charlotte cankerworms worst?
Tuesday was an almost perfect spring morning: cool, sun coming up and spring flowers ablaze. As I relished a morning walk about 4 miles south of uptown, I also relished something perhaps more gruesome. I gleefully squished dozens of green cankerworms that had fallen onto the street during Monday’s rain. April in Charlotte is a […]
Crockpot squirrel, beaver pot roast, catfish dip: Spotlighting wild food
Growing up, we had a lot of wild foods – things like persimmon pudding and blackberry pie – which I never realized might be considered wild foods. For the past few years I have been an avid hunter of deer, doves, squirrel and turkey, but this year I’ve expanded my interests into hunting rabbit, grouse […]
The bounce is back for Charlotte-area suburban growth
Since the recession ended, there has been a lot of discussion among demographers, pundits and others about Americans moving back to cities. For the first time in years, migration patterns were showing cities growing faster than suburbs. Research was starting to suggest that not all Americans are dreaming of a big house, lawn and an […]
Jackson: Sprawling cities, towns may be killing us
Richard Jackson thinks it’s time to stop blaming individuals for the U.S. obesity problem. The problem, he believes, is far more systemic, including the automobile-centric design of modern American life and the ready availability of high-sugar and high-fat foods. He thinks today’s parental fears of child abductions are not realistic and hurt children’s need for […]
‘Passalong plants’ also pass along memories, cultural history
The yard has been tilled, the clay amended with compost and mulch. I’m eager to start a new garden at our home in Charlotte, but my first trip to the nursery left me with sticker shock. I couldn’t part with $35 for a fancy cultivar of the ubiquitous Carolina jasmine that blooms freely across the […]
Stay up-to-date with the ISC April 2015 newsletter
ISC out and about ISC staff members Ashley Clark, Eric Caratao, and Alyssa Brown joined approximately 250 volunteers for a training session before Charlotte’s Annual Point in Time Count, an annual count of people experiencing homelessness on a given night. New data deposits ISC continues to grow its data deposits and sign new data sharing […]
Building an environment for better health: Event April 8
Can the buildings, streets and sidewalks around you change your health? Richard J. Jackson thinks they can. Jackson, professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, has made the creation of healthier environments his life’s work. He’s the author of books including Urban Sprawl and Public Health, published in 2004, which examined the connections between […]
How much do you know about Charlotte’s creeks? Take our quiz
I’ve spent much of the past few months researching Mecklenburg County’s creeks, for a PlanCharlotte.org project called KEEPING WATCH on WATER: City of Creeks. A related gallery exhibit opened March 27 at UNC Charlotte Center City. To see a full list of events, click here, or visit KeepingWatch.org for updates. To whet your appetite for […]
Exhibit, films, creek-side walks planned for ‘City of Creeks’
FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS PLEASE CLICK HERE KEEPING WATCH on WATER: City of Creeks is a collaborative project between the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and the College of Arts + Architecture. (Learn more here.) A series of related events is planned, including: Exhibit Projective Eye Gallery at UNC Charlotte Center City: March 27-June 17. […]