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Mapping unequal health care access in Charlotte
   April 18, 2022

Mary Louise Orr Wilson, Malia Suhren, Margaret Phipps

Your access to medicine, lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines and other pharmacy services might depend on what part of town you live in. 

The Urban Institute recently updated the Quality of Life Explorer data maps to include several new metrics, one of which is particularly relevant as we enter year three of the global pandemic. “Proximity to a pharmacy,” ...

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Explore local housing data with new interactive maps
   April 4, 2022
Ely Portillo

We often paint Charlotte’s housing market in broad strokes: rising prices, bidding wars and gentrification reshaping neighborhoods.

Updated data on the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Quality of Life Explorer lets you can dig deeper into the story told by those aggregate numbers. Charlotte’s neighborhoods are starkly different when it comes to...

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Explore these data sources to learn more about Charlotte
   March 2, 2022
Ely Portillo

Charlotte is a fast-growing city where the skyline changes by the month and neighborhoods are reshaped at a disorienting pace. But there are a multitude of data sources to help you understand the city and your community. 

You can start with interactive maps like the Quality of Life Explorer (produced by the Urban Institute in partnership with the...

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Examining housing needs at Brookhill Village in the event of redevelopment
   February 10, 2022

In 2020, Lookout Housing Ventures proposed a redevelopment plan for Brookhill Village, a 36-acre naturally occurring affordable housing development near the intersection of Remount Road and South Boulevard. Although the proposed development has not moved forward, the approximately 120 households of Brookhill Village may be at risk of displacement if Brookhill Village were to be redeveloped...

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What does the 'Great Resignation' mean for Charlotte?
   January 25, 2022
Sydney Idzikowski

More people than ever are voluntarily leaving their jobs. This phenomenon, known as the Great Resignation, is happening in nearly every employment sector and across a broad range of income levels. Fueled by the pandemic, changes in how we work, increasing work demands, other opportunities and more, workers of all types are looking for a change. 

Records started shattering in the heat...

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An ‘economic halo’ for rural churches in North Carolina
   January 11, 2022
Ely Portillo

In small towns across North Carolina, churches function as more than places of fellowship and gathering for people — they’re also de facto economic engines. 

...

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Explore everything from residential segregation to how much trash you generate with new maps
   December 15, 2021
Ely Portillo

Which parts of Charlotte use the most water? Where is our growth eating up whatever vacant land is left in Mecklenburg County? Where are the racial, economic and other dividing lines that crisscross our community?

You can answer these questions and more with the updated Quality of Life Explorer maps published online today. A joint venture between...

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How are Housing Choice Vouchers distributed across Southeastern Cities?
   October 29, 2021
Katie Zager
Providence Adu

This research was used by USA Today for an investigative series called 'Segregated by Section 8.' The series is available online here (subscriber-only...

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New maps let you explore patterns of income, racial segregation and more
   September 20, 2021
Ely Portillo

Where you live in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County might reflect your race, income, education level, how old you are and even how likely you are to be in an area where eligible streams are adopted for clean-up. 

Newly updated maps from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Quality of Life Explorer let...

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Part 1: How the Blue Line Extension changed Charlotte development
   September 7, 2021

Nathan Griffin

The pandemic has transformed so much about the world, including how we work, where we work, and how we commute. As a result of these shifts, Charlotte area transit use has fallen to less than 50% of pre-pandemic levels.

And while debates continue on whether these effects are permanent or temporary, city planners are pushing for transit expansion.

The ambitious “Charlotte Moves...

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