Meet the Intern: Jaire Clarida
My name is Jaire Clarida. I am a rising junior social work student and I attend North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.
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Will Charlotte's Tree Ordinance changes be enough to save our tree canopy?
The City of Charlotte’s Planning Department started hosting stakeholder meetings in March with the goal of updating its Tree Ordinance, and invited Sustain Charlotte to be a part of them. We participated in each of the four meetings, providing our knowledge and insight into how important trees are to our Urban Neighborhoods.
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Exploring Charlotte on foot at #WalkCLT powered by OrthoCarolina
Hundreds of Charlotte area residents enjoyed exploring the FreeMoreWest business district, surrounding neighborhoods, and greenway as they participated in our fourth annual #WalkCLT powered by OrthoCarolina!
Our new "WALK Selfie Station" was a big hit!
This fun, family-friendly event invited residents and visitors to walk rather than drive to destinations in their area by taking a map-guided twilight stroll. Following check-in at Recover Brands, participants explored special activities and deals at nearby destinations including Enderly Coffee, Rhino Market & Deli, The Burger Co., Crossfit QC, Picante Mexican Grill, Centered Wellness & Yoga for Life, Wallace Pruitt Recreation Center, Blue Blaze Brewing, and KeenDog Training.
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Envisioning Improved Transportation Infrastructure in the North End
(Photo credit: Jenny Vallimont)
We recently participated in a workshop, hosted by the City of Charlotte and the Knight Foundation, to envision transportation improvements that could be made in Charlotte's North End. The North End has the lowest street connectivity index and sidewalk availability for areas surrounding Uptown Charlotte. Gaps in the sidewalk network and lack of crosswalks put people in danger and prevent them from walking and biking.
Sustain Charlotte is working with the North End Community Coalition (NECC) to calm traffic and make the community more walkable and bikeable while also advocating for improvements to the bus system. This area spans 8 neighborhoods: Druid Hills, Greenville, Graham Heights, The Park at Oaklawn, Genesis Park, Lockwood, J.T. Williams and Brightwalk at Historic Double Oaks.
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Charlotte’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan Must Emphasize Sustainability, Put People’s Needs First
Charlotte Future 2040, a comprehensive plan to guide Charlotte’s growth over the next two decades, is expected to last into 2021. The planning process involves extensive community outreach, a great deal of city government staff time and, ultimately, approval by Charlotte City Council. The end goal is a long-term vision, clear objectives, and an action plan to reach desired outcomes. Often these plans include a collection of growth strategies accompanied by supporting policies to help guide decision-making in the years that follow the plan. Once complete it may take another year or so to translate the plan into a new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) – the primary tool the City will use to implement the growth framework of the plan.
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Creating safety and a sense of place in SouthPark
The message was clear from attendees at our May Grow Smart CLT event: People want to live in a place where they can easily access amenities, and they want to feel safe doing that, no matter how they choose to get around.
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Shifting Gears attendees give feedback on Uptown Cycle Track
At our May Shifting Gears event attendees got to experience riding Charlotte's first protected bike lane, the Uptown Cycle Track along 6th Street.
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Sustain Charlotte asks Charlotte City Council to support funding for Cross-Charlotte Trail
We're thrilled to see that Charlotte's City Manager has included full funding for the Cross-Charlotte Trail in his proposed FY20 budget. Below is the letter we sent to the City Council on May 7 (the day after the manager's budget was made public) in support of the proposed funding allocation.
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Youth climate leaders inspire hundreds at Charlotte Sustainability Awards
Each year we take an evening to celebrate the work that is being done in the Charlotte community to advance smart growth and sustainability, and each year we are blown away by the incredible work we hear about from our honorees. This year was no exception.
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How public art can slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety
Vendors lined the street as thousands of Charlotteans came out to Open Streets 704 on Sunday, April 28th! People of all ages were able to enjoy car free day from 1pm to 5pm on a perfectly sunny Sunday!
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