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Articles about Government and Civic Engagement

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Five key findings about the impact of COVID-19 on local renters and prioritizing rental assistance
   September 3, 2020
Bridget Anderson, Katie Zager, Lori Thomas, Sydney Idzikowski

COVID-19 has had an immediate and potentially lasting impact on the housing stability of low-income renters in Charlotte and the nation. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced a federal eviction moratorium through the end of 2020, missed rent is not being forgiven.

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Schul Forum to be held in 2021; new 'conversations on opportunity' this spring
   September 2, 2020

Staff Reports

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the second annual Marianne M. & Norman W. Schul Forum Series will be delayed a year, to the fall of 2021. Originally scheduled for November 2020, this year’s forum was slated to focus on the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute’s collaborative work around increasing...

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Can the city, county work together to solve transportation issues?
   August 26, 2020
Ely Portillo

“We cannot do this individually. If we try to attack these problems in our own lanes only, we will only succeed at failing.”

“Everything we embark on needs an intergovernmental framework and strategy to move forward.”

“We truly are breaking down silos that exist in government.”

That’s City Council members Tariq Bokhari, Braxton Winston and Matt Newton speaking Tuesday...

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The coronavirus is starting to reshape transit in Charlotte
   August 13, 2020
Ely Portillo

In the sixth month of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic, few sectors of the economy or local government services have been hit as hard as transportation and transit.

The viral outbreak and ensuing lockdowns caused transit ridership numbers to plummet nationwide as millions of people stayed home or avoided trains and buses if they had to go somewhere. The Centers for Disease Control even...

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Mapping Charlotte’s lost buildings: Demolitions on the rise again
   August 10, 2020

Nathan Griffin
Charlotte’s aging buildings are being torn down at an alarming rate, the product of a fast-growing population and strong real estate market. Read more
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NC’s current 2020 Census response is concerning
   August 9, 2020

Rebecca Tippett
More than four in every ten North Carolina households have not yet filled out the 2020 Census, representing more than 4 million North Carolinians not currently captured in the Census. Our current response rate is below the national rate and below where our state was in 2010. North Carolina communities that have not responded at high rates are predominantly rural, Black, and Brown, with low... Read more
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Here’s what other Sunbelt cities can show Charlotte about transit funding
   July 29, 2020
Ely Portillo
With plans for the 26-mile Silver Line light rail, possible Blue Line extensions, the Gold Line streetcar and more moving forward, there’s a looming question in Charlotte: How will we pay for all of this? Read more
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Residents wait to see if they can stay in fast-changing South End
   June 4, 2020
Mae Israel
Debbie Williams grew up in Charlotte’s Brookhill Village, a neighborhood of one-story duplex and triplex apartments built for black families in the 1950s. She has watched while its owners let the buildings deteriorate as luxury apartments began rising nearby.  Two decades ago, she moved away. But her mother and sister remained in the low-rent housing community, home to several generations of... Read more
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The racial wealth gap: Business ownership & entrepreneurship
   June 1, 2020

In Mecklenburg County, business ownership rates are proportionate to the racial and ethnic makeup of the county. But disparities persist: Although ownership is demographically proportionate, the majority of the economic value of business ownership is held in a small number of White-owned businesses.  Read more
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How jobs contribute to the racial wealth gap
   May 26, 2020

Income is a major component of wealth, but the relationship between income and wealth is complex. Wealth and income are both used to measure a family’s economic situation, but they tell us different things about the health and strength of economic well-being.  Read more