Martin Zimmerman

Biography

Martin is a planner, architect, urban journalist and principal of City Wise Studio USA, an urban research and communications firm. He writes about sustainable cities and livable neighborhoodsand he travels frequently to communities in the USA, Canada and abroad in search of innovative models for Charlotte.  His articles and reviews have appeared locally in the Charlotte Observer and Axios / Charlotte Agenda.com, and nationally in Urban Land.orgAPA Planning, National Building Museum's Blueprints Journal, ASLA DIRT.org, Architectural Record, Washington TimesAtlanta Journal-Constitution, and other print and on-line media. As the first architect to lead the Office of Facilities Planning for the Charlotte campus of the University of North Carolina (1992-2001), Martin and his team created campus-wide design guidelines, updated the master plan, and launched corridor studies for light rail transit link to Center City Charlotte. As ED for the Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance (2003-2012), he campaigned successfully to redirect the arc of Charlotte's auto-centric travel culture. His vehicle of choice has two wheels and a bell. He can be reached at martin@citywisestudio.us.

Stories by Martin Zimmerman

An almost car-free suburb, where kids roam free

Can a suburban area be truly green? One city in Germany offers lessons in building a family-friendly environment with a small carbon footprint. Commentary.

Storm clouds over Charlotte? A Richard Florida page-turner

Today’s urban crisis, writes Richard Florida, is as bad as the era of white-flight suburbanization and central city decay of the ’50s and ’60s. Book review.

Is Charlotte’s bike plan update good enough?

A proposed new bicycle plan for Charlotte hits the mark in many ways. But without dedicated funding, will it be merely a feel-good exercise? Commentary. 

Transforming the city’s streets ... for everyone

Street Fight, a new book about New York’s efforts to improve pedestrian and bicycle amenities, is also relevant to Charlotte or any city feeling the tension between today’s auto-addicted culture...

Planners roll out detailed game plan for new ordinance

As Charlotte city planners undertake a revamp of the zoning code—as rapid development continues—a detailed time line presented to a City Council committee might shave as much as a year off the...