How to support a cooler, more resilient city
Last night, more than 70 people gathered for our first Impact 704 Academy session of 2024 at Charlotte Urban Design Center, sponsored by South End.
This free 3-part series is all about sustainable, equitable, and resilient urban development in the Charlotte area. Our goal is to help you build the skills, knowledge, and relationships to advocate successfully.
The first session focused on the basics of smart growth as we answer the question, “How can better land use and transportation decisions build a more sustainable community?”
Sustain Charlotte’s Meg Fencil defined smart growth as “the ability to meet our needs today without compromising the ability to meet our needs in the future,” noting that in 22 years, Charlotte grew by 445,000 to more than 1.14 million people.
That’s why we need smart growth. A variety of land uses all together. Walkable neighborhoods connected to where we work and play. A variety of transportation choices. Community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions that are predictable, fair and cost effective.
Participants were invited and encouraged to ask questions and engage in discussion.
Then, there was a presentation by the Charlotte Heat Mappers, led by Dr. Katherine Idziorek and Dr. Matthew Eastin from UNC Charlotte’s Department of Earth, Environmental, and Geographical Sciences. Sustain Charlotte is a proud partner of the Charlotte Heat Mappers, along with a coalition of community organizations, nonprofits, and government entities across Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The presentation was about the results of a community heat mapping project and a discussion of actions communities can take to support a cooler, more resilient Charlotte.
Big shutout to Charlotte Urban Design Center for hosting the event and to South End for sponsoring it and providing refreshments!
Couldn’t join us last night? Plan to attend an upcoming session on December 5 and December 11!
Thanks for reading!
As a nonprofit, community support is essential for us to keep doing what we do — including providing free articles like this. If you found this article helpful, please consider supporting Sustain Charlotte.