Articles

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In Jane Jacobs’ footsteps, exploring what's ‘urban’
   May 17, 2012
Mary Newsom
Tom Hanchett, staff historian at Levine Museum of the New South, contends that the most urban corner in the city is Central Avenue at Rosehaven Drive. For weeks I have respectfully declined to agree. By virtually any standard of city form, nothing at that corner is urban. But as Hanchett led 20 Charlotteans on a recent “munching tour” at the corner, his thesis began to sink in. Read more


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Charlotte sponsors strategic planning meeting for neighborhoods
   May 11, 2012

Brad Satterwhite
The city, instead of holding its traditional spring summit conference for neighborhood groups, will offer them space and time with facilitators in July to encourage strategic goal-setting and planning. Read more


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Is retail's future on display in region?
   May 8, 2012

At a rural crossroads 30 miles from Charlotte, an experiment is under way that could reshape the national retail landscape. Walmart, famous for its ubiquitous supercenters averaging 185,000 square feet, is testing a much smaller, 15,000-square-foot format called a Walmart Express Store in the Stanly County town of Richfield, population 516.  Read more


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Uptown time traveler
   May 4, 2012
Mary Newsom
How has uptown Charlotte changed in the past century? An interactive graphic shows you how the 1911 urban pattern of small lots and small buildings has become a modern quilt of big projects filling whole blocks. Read more


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The loss of the great canebrakes
   May 1, 2012
Crystal Cockman
A prescribed burn on a part of the Low Water Bridge Preserve in February should help a particularly interesting species along the river – giant river cane. Read more


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Goodwill Workforce Development Needs Review
   May 1, 2012
Bill McCoy
Hannah Guerrier
In March 2012, Goodwill commissioned the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute to conduct a literature review of the workforce development sector’s needs across its eighteen-county region..  The report revealed major themes surrounding system needs, target populations and most valuable skills training.  Read more


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Region faces growing workforce development needs, study finds
   May 1, 2012

Hannah Guerrier
With unemployment only beginning to dissipate across the Charlotte region, the demand for workforce development remains at an unprecedented high.  In particular, there is a growing need for customized training for disconnected youth, returning veterans, and seniors and a huge demand for stronger soft-skills training.  These are among the main findings of a recent study the UNC Charlotte... Read more


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The Power of Data: Accessing and Using Women's Summit Research
   April 30, 2012

This presentation was given at the 2012 Women's Summit, during interactive, hands-on sessions on how to use the Wonmen's Summit Indicator Partner website.  The presentation includes an introduction to the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, the Charlotte Regional Indicators Project, and the Women's Summit Indicator Partner website. Read more


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Celebrating student ties to communities
   April 27, 2012

Andria Krewson

In the McEniry building at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, students moved out the chairs on a recent afternoon to clear the room for guests and presentations. Pizza boxes, soft drinks and ice arrived for a reception for students in Janni Sorensen’s social inequality and planning class.

It was time for a celebration.

Read more


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Goodwill sponsors new online resource
   April 25, 2012

In this period of high unemployment, not everyone has suffered equally.  Two populations of particular concern are veterans and youth.  Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont provides services to both of these populations and is a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable populations in the Charlotte region.  The agency is continuing its innovation and outreach efforts in a... Read more