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Jobs not jails: Helping youth turn their lives around
   February 23, 2012

Children without hope can be found in every community.  Father Greg Boyle has been working on this issue for decades through Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles.   He spoke in Charlotte this week about Homeboy, which is recognized as the largest gang intervention program in the country.  Homeboy Industries' slogan is, “nothing stops a bullet like a job.” Read more
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No, greenways are not a U.N. conspiracy
   February 22, 2012

There I was, pencil poised over a large drawing of Gastonia. It was 1997 and I was running a public workshop to design a network of greenways and open spaces for residents to enjoy as recreational and natural amenities.  Someone in the background was fiddling with a radio. Then, as I remember the moment,  the strident sounds of a local radio station blared through the room. “Did you... Read more
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Affordable housing policy: voluntary or mandatory?
   February 15, 2012

Dustin Read
Studies of programs like the one the City of Charlotte is considering, which use incentives to encourage developers to include affordable housing units in new development, suggest that voluntary programs aren't as likely to create as many affordable units as mandatory programs do, and may not be as likely to spread affordable housing into more affluent areas. On the other hand they're not as... Read more
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Wintering in the Piedmont
   February 14, 2012
Ruth Ann Grissom
Many birds lead lifestyles of the rich and famous – they “summer” in one location and “winter” in another.  Find out more about our winter visitors and add to the scientific knowledge about these species by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 17-20. Read more
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Cheap land? Low prices frustrate cash-strapped preservationists
   February 10, 2012

A Faison subdivision off Beatties Ford Road and Abersham near Davidson were purchased by Mecklenburg County for parks, after the developments stalled. But generally, the region's land conservationists lack money to protect tantalizing properties available after the financial crash.  Read more
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Updated Youth Services Catalog is now available
   February 10, 2012

The Goodwill Youth Services Catalog has been updated.  This catalog includes all organizations and programs that provide services related to workforce development for at-risk and disconnected youth in the Charlotte area.  It contains a range of information on each program/organization, including basic contact information, the mission, who it serves, what services it offers, and how it... Read more
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Goodwill Youth Needs Assessment Presentation
   February 10, 2012

In September 2009, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont commissioned the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute to assess the need for a workforce development program for youth in the community and recommend any changes that should be made to put its fledgling Youth Job Connection program on the right track. Read more
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Institute connects with center city
   February 8, 2012

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute now has office space in the university's Center City Building. Although the institute will continue to be headquartered on the main campus, several staff members and institute Director Jeff Michael are now regularly spending some time each week in the new facility uptown. The Center City Building offers the institute new ways to engage with the community and to... Read more
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When wetlands aren't so wet anymore
   February 6, 2012

The Flat Branch Nature Preserve, in the southernmost tip of Mecklenburg County, holds the county’s largest remaining upland depression swamp forest. It's a place where water naturally fills forest depressions in winter and early spring. But just weeks ago, the pools were gone and the ground parched. And when the pools returned in recent days, they were smaller than they used to be.... Read more
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Women’s Summit sponsors new online resource
   February 1, 2012

You may already know that, as a group, women tend to earn less than men. Something that may surprise you is that in 2010, smaller percentages of women were overweight or obese compared to men in Mecklenburg County. The new online tool sponsored by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Women's Summit allows users to compare men and women across a range of indicators. Read more