New Urbanism Gets A Slow Start In Charlotte

"One of the fastest-growing districts in Charlotte, the University City area is largely a loose arrangement of office parks, strip shopping, fast food and chain restaurants, power-center retail and apartment complexes. Mix this with a wide array of unconnected housing developments, and it's no wonder that University City could be considered a textbook case of uninspiring suburban sprawl. 'The problem in University City is that we've had three development plans in three years,' Winter adds. 'We've had to change the plans because City Council keeps approving rezonings that essentially negate the plan. The plans have been great, but they never come to fruition.'"