The following is a guest post written by Trent Michels for Sustain Charlotte partner Insight Architects Photos: Insight Architects It's always exhilarating to witness architects pushing the boundaries of sustainability, while paying homage to cultural heritage. Insight Architects, led by the visionary Kristina Held, has embarked on such an endeavor that truly embodies the fusion of local tradition with innovation. 

To help our followers better navigate the local election scene and understand where each candidate stands with regard to a range of important issues that affect local sustainability, in partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Climate Leaders coalition, we surveyed candidates running for the offices of Charlotte City Council and Charlotte Mayor.

Photo: Canva What does your household contribute to climate change? The New York Times took a look at consumption-based emissions at the local level nationwide and offered a comprehensive look at the role neighborhood density and personal wealth play.   Consumption-based emissions, the calculation of all of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing, transporting, using, and disposing of products and services consumed by a particular community, indicates that the densest and most transit-friendly neighborhoods near the city center have the lowest emissions per household nationwide thanks to residents’ ability to walk, bike or use public transit to get to stores and jobs. This proves true in Charlotte, too. Smaller homes also use less energy to heat and cool.  In more distant suburbs, average emissions per household can be two to three times as high because homes tend to get bigger and residents tend to drive longer distances.  Similarly, higher-income households tend to buy more stuff and travel more, both of which produce more greenhouse gases. “When individuals or households want to know what influence they have over emissions, a consumption-based carbon footprint is the most relevant indicator,” said Chris Jones, director of the CoolClimate Network at the University of California, Berkeley, which developed the methodology behind the data set, said in this New York Times article. “And it can help us see what sorts of larger systemic changes are necessary” to help cities reduce those emissions, he said.  

The Charlotte Transportation, Planning & Development Committee held their latest meeting on Monday, August 8, 2023. Only two items were on the agenda: updates regarding Charlotte Area Transportation System (CATS) and the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Here are the highlights:  

In May 2023, Mecklenburg County made the decision to switch from a block 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to a rolling 5-year CIP. The CIP is the county’s method of prioritizing and funding construction projects like building and facility renovations, including the greenways.  This new rolling CIP model enables the county to be more flexible in adjusting priorities and responding to changing conditions. Residents will want to stay informed of the various ways they may be impacted by the CIP, as it outlines funding for a range of county-wide projects, including capital projects for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), the library system, and Park & Recreation.   

We are now living through the hottest summer on record by a significant margin. While summers have been trending hotter since the 1940s, global average temperatures for the past few months have easily surpassed those of summer 2019, the previous record.  The toll of sweltering temperatures is staggering. Heat-related deaths have climbed, wildfires and other extreme weather events have raged, and intense heat waves are threatening food security.  There is a direct correlation between the concentrations of human-caused emissions of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and the extraordinary heat. In other words, our insistence on burning fossil fuels plays a significant, undeniable role in the devastating consequences of our warming planet.  Though this is a global crisis of epic proportions, there are things you can do here and now to help.   

Our organization is in favor of the proposed Petition #2023-093 UDO Text Amendment, which aims to address the issue of specific residential subdivisions being developed under outdated Office and Business zoning districts.  As of June 1, 2023, these areas were reclassified as General Commercial (CG) and Office Flex (OFC) zoning districts, meaning that single-family homes and duplexes in these subdivisions became non-conforming. As a result, property owners are restricted from making changes, like expanding these homes.  If adopted, the amendment will help resolve this issue promptly. The Zoning Committee of the Planning Commission passed a recommendation on the text amendment on August 3, and Charlotte City Council could make a decision on August 21.

The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) convened again this past Wednesday, July 26, to hear updates on the Transit Work Group, CATS contracts, and bus service planning. For one of the shortest meetings this year, clocking in at only 1 hour and 15 minutes, plenty of information was shared. We have pulled out the highlights for you below. Top takeaways CATS received a $30M grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace diesel buses and create more electric charging infrastructure. Congratulations, CATS! CATS has instituted aggressive pay increases for rail and bus operators, ranging from 5-15% on top of base rate pay. Route 74x through Union County will continue to run with service to Indian Trail. However, the route will not continue to Monroe starting on September 29, 2023. Do you take an express bus? CATS is conducting a survey to hear from you!  

The 2023 People for Bikes City Ratings have been released, revealing how major cities across the United States are prioritizing bicycle infrastructure to promote safe cycling for all ages and abilities.  Charlotte came away rating 27 out of a possible 100 points. Let’s take a look at why our city earned this rating and ways that investing in bicycling infrastructure can make our city safe for people of all ages and abilities.  

We'd like to welcome our two new summer interns to the Sustain Charlotte team! Take a minute to get to know Claire Miller and Henry Smith. We're so glad they're bringing their tremendous skills to our work.