Thank you to the more than 100 people who responded to our action alert and advocated to Mecklenburg County commissioners for Park and Recreation Department funding! Your stories about the importance of greenways struck home with many of the commissioners, as evidenced by their vocal support during Tuesday’s public policy meeting.

Charlotte has a new bicycle planner in town. Dave Campbell started his new job with the Charlotte Department of Transportation in December after a long advocacy career, including the last 10 years as advocacy director for Bike East Bay in California.

Mecklenburg County staff and commissioners are already planning for the next budget year, which begins in July. A big part of that process includes the next Capital Improvement Plan, a five-year program that funds a range of projects, including expanding our parks, nature preserves and greenway system.

Last night, Sustain Charlotte Director of Engagement and Impact Meg Fencil addressed the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners at its first budget hearing to receive resident input on planning for the county manager's fiscal year 2024 budget. The county is also in the process of completing the next five-year Capital Improvement Plan, a program that funds a range of projects, including creating new community resource centers, updating county facilities, and expanding our park and greenway system. 

Both the annual budget and the Capital Improvement Plan will be up for discussion at the County Commission’s budget retreat on Jan. 24, so we're speaking up now for continued funding to support a vibrant, healthy, and equitable community for all. 

In 2023, Sustain Charlotte resolves to work for an expanded greenway network, dependable public transit, equitable community involvement and more! (Photo: Charlotte Area Transit System)

In 2023, what would it look like to collectively aspire to a better future for our community? Here are the big-ticket items Sustain Charlotte resolves to continue working for in the new year -- and we're committed to making it easy for members of the community to do so, too. Won’t you join us in supporting a better way forward for our climate, health and equity? 

On Thursday evening, several dozen community members gathered for Sustain Charlotte’s Impact 704 Academy's third and final session of 2022 to discuss local land-use challenges. This series of education and engagement programs focused on sustainable, equitable, and resilient urban development in the Charlotte area. 

At Monday night’s City Council strategy meeting, City Manager Marcus Jones and Ed McKinney with Charlotte Department of Transportation updated Council members on plans to implement the Strategic Mobility Plan. 

We believe that greenways, parks, and nature preserves are fundamental to a healthy, vibrant, equitable community. That’s why we spent 2022 advocating for Mecklenburg County to create more of them.

This blog features the impactful work that North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association member Sustain Charlotte engages in to achieve its mission of creating a more sustainable future for Charlotte-area residents, focusing on transportation and mobility, the economy, buildings and development, and social equity. 

It was originally posted by NCSEA and jointly written by Alex Clingman from NCSEA and Lauren Sawyers of Sustain Charlotte.