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Heed consultants, get on with zoning revamp
   August 13, 2013

Last month, consultants for the City of Charlotte delivered their assessment of the city’s zoning ordinance. The study came in two parts – an Assessment Report and an Approach Report. Like the two parts of the report, after reading it I had two reactions: encouraged, and anxious to see more meaningful action. Commentary. (Photo: Nancy Pierce) Read more
As cities revive, will ‘region’ ever be sexy?
   August 8, 2013
Mary Newsom
Whether you recall the old “inner city” image of poverty and dysfunction, or today's hipster downtowns, both images focus on the central core. That’s one of the biggest challenges facing U.S. cities today: the need to address the whole urban organism of city plus suburb plus exurb. (Photo: Nancy Pierce) Read more
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Uwharrie Trail, from end to end
   August 8, 2013
Crystal Cockman
Thru-hiking means going the complete distance on a long-distance trail. Thanks to the efforts of several organizations, all 40 miles of the Uwharrie Trail can now be “thru-hiked.” (Photo: Crystal Cockman) Read more
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Work of ‘hidden profession’ is all around you
   August 7, 2013

Planning may well be one of the most important professions that the public doesn’t know exists. But great places (and plans) don’t just happen. Someone is responsible for their development and implementation. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) Read more
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Charlotte transit stations: realizing development potential?
   July 30, 2013

Development patterns along Charlotte's Blue Line show a mixed bag of more low-density neighborhoods than planners recommend. That means the corridor is brimming with opportunity to develop more intensely, and in a way that puts walkable, diverse urban neighborhoods near transit. (Photo: Melissa Currie) Read more
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Report: Charlotte ordinance confusing, lacks modern tools
   July 24, 2013
Mary Newsom
Charlotte’s zoning ordinance sometimes gets in the way of carrying out adopted plans, a consultant’s report concludes. It also can be confusing, with occasionally contradictory requirements. (Photo: Nancy Pierce) Read more
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Will Americans continue to be suburban creatures?
   July 18, 2013
Bill Graves
The question is widely debated among experts and in the press. Do surveys showing more preference for walkable, in-town neighborhoods measure a fleeting fad, or portend the end of suburbia? A UNC Charlotte geographer looks deeper. (Photo: Nancy Pierce) Read more
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New homes tell the story of a growing region
   July 10, 2013

Melissa Currie
It’s no secret the Charlotte region has seen a huge influx of newcomers, with homes built by the thousands. New Census data show the high percentage of homes that are only a few years old. With interactive, county-by-county data. Read more
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A rich spot of earth
   July 2, 2013
Ruth Ann Grissom
One could argue the local foods movement in America has its roots in the red clay of the Piedmont, on a hilltop near Charlottesville, Va. In the recent book A Rich Spot of Earth, Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello, Peter Hatch contends the garden Jefferson created was “uniquely American.” (Photo  used under CC-BY-2.5) Read more
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Two cities, two mills to be reborn
   July 1, 2013
Mae Israel

Mae Jones looks out her front door every day at the empty, massive Loray Mill, about a mile from downtown Gastonia, and remembers the rumble of machines, the acrid odors and her hard work there for 35 years.  Once, it was the lifeline of the surrounding  mill village, and Jones, 93, is thrilled by efforts to bring it back.

“I’m hoping,” she said, “to be around to see it.”

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