Articles

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Foxx’s ‘pep rally’ for consolidation
   September 5, 2012
Mary Newsom
The event Tuesday afternoon was billed as Mayor Anthony Foxx hosting a “roundtable discussion on Regionalism & Reinvention” but it was, at heart, a dignified pep rally for consolidation. Read more


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A good walk, unspoiled
   September 4, 2012

The word “sustainability” and its associated derivatives are thrown around with abandon to describe everything from architecture to Jay-Z’s diet. But what does it mean, really? Read more


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A Charlotte primer: A city that thinks big
   September 4, 2012

Welcome, Democrats! You have received loads of material on restaurants, sights and the strange habits of the locals. Here is a primer quick enough for you to digest while you spoon through your breakfast grits. Read more


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Developer Daniel Levine: I’d rather do nothing than not do it well
   August 29, 2012
Mary Newsom
After he and his family have bought property in uptown Charlotte for two decades and made plans for its future, developer Daniel Levine has partnered with Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to build a public park and two parking decks in First Ward. He talks with PlanCharlotte about why he hasn't, until now, moved forward with development. Read more


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Institute for Social Capital names new director
   August 29, 2012

Amy Hawn Nelson, a Mecklenburg County educator with a strong record in improving the academic outcomes for at-risk students, has been named director of UNC Charlotte’s Institute for Social Capital. She replaces Sharon Portwood, the first director, who stepped down in December 2011 to return to full-time teaching at the university.

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High school graduation rates in CMS: A focus on the forgotten percentage
   August 28, 2012

Abiola Farinde, Chance Lewis
CMS’ newly improved graduation rates, though notable, summon the school system and our community to keep asking one pertinent question: What can be done for the forgotten 25 percent of the high school student population who did not receive a diploma? Read more


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Niche habitats in the uplands
   August 27, 2012
Ruth Ann Grissom
Hiking the ridgelines and hillsides of the Uwharries, you pass through forests dominated by hickory, oak and sourwood. On occasion, an attentive and adventurous outdoor enthusiast might also run across natural areas that change abruptly and appear remarkably different from this typical forest. Read more


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Crane-fly orchid: Nature's Plain Jane flower
   August 22, 2012
Crystal Cockman
While walking on my grandparents’ property last week, I was fortunate to stumble upon one of the most common and understated orchids in bloom – the Crane-fly orchid (Tipularia discolor). Read more


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Turn uptown’s street canyons green
   August 21, 2012

Tracey Crowe
People in the Charlotte region take pride in how green the area is. Yet we're losing trees and their helpful pollution-fighting effects. New research shows that shrubs, ivy and other plants can reduce street-level concentrations of key air pollutants. So why not turn our blank walls green? Read more


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Some ‘zombie’ subdivisions rising from dead
   August 17, 2012

In the wake of the financial crash, many real estate developments across the Charlotte region appear frozen in various stages of construction. But a few of these so-called “zombie subdivisions” may be reviving, as developers regain their financial footing and, in some cases, propose new plans. (Click here for a photo gallery of abandoned subdivisions in and around Charlotte.) Read more