Urbanists have big-city dreams. Charlotte has a car-centric reality (Axios)
An urbanist movement is sweeping the nation as residents of fast-growing cities fight to make them more pedestrian friendly.
In recent years, with the ear of politicians, Sustain Charlotte has been an active voice in the creation of the 2040 plan and the subsequent overhaul of zoning regulations. The nonprofit advocated for changes like not requiring developers to pave parking spaces for construction projects. It was also a proponent of permitting more multi-family housing options in single-family neighborhoods.
“The goal of more urban living is efficiency, which makes it more sustainable at the end of the day. You’re using less resources; there’s less miles of road; there’s less infrastructure, water, sewer; less school services, fire, police,” says Eric Zaverl, Sustain Charlotte’s urban design specialist. “The urban areas that are more efficient are actually paying for a lot of the sprawl that is happening around Charlotte in terms of tax collection per square foot.”