North Carolina

Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon resigned after taking bribes in exchange for zoning and parking privileges. Will the fallout affect the city's streetcar plans or its efforts to streamline permitting and code enforcement?

April 7, 2014 - Charlotte Observer

While tolling will not fill the Highway Trust Fund gap, it can finance improvements for specific interstate highways that would otherwise be funded by a sustainable trust fund, not one approaching insolvency. Why not allow states the option to toll?

April 7, 2014 - The New York Times - U.S.

NPR host Linda Wertheimer interviews Evan Osnos about his current New Yorker piece on the Jan. chemical spill into W. Va.'s Elk River. His focus is less on the spill and more on the influence of Big Coal in government and how it contributed to it.

April 4, 2014 - NPR Morning Edition

Bruce Siceloff reports that a North Carolina state Board of Transportation committee will receive a recommendation that the state consider a vehicle miles tax.

April 3, 2014 - News & Observer

Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was first elected to the city council in 1993. He’s expected to be indicted on public corruption charges next week after accepting more than $48,000 for “the use of his official position..."

March 27, 2014 - Charlotte Observer

The federal investigation of Duke Energy's Feb. 2 coal ash spill sheds light not only on the company and its state regulator, but also on that of the Environmental Protection Agency and holds wider implications for the coal industry as a whole.

March 23, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S.

Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 recently got national media attention from Forbes. The article describes Minicozzi as a kind of evangelist, making a strong, rational case for cities of all sizes to invest in their downtowns instead of big box retail.

March 18, 2014 - Forbes - BrandVoice

A New York Times investigation into the Feb. 2 North Carolina coal ash spill by Duke Energy is turning up startling information into the role, or lack of, played by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in safeguarding the environment.

March 3, 2014 - The New York Times - U.S.

Forbes recently released its annual list of America’s Fastest-Growing Cities. The list considers both population and economy.

February 27, 2014 - Forbes

A pair of recent articles examine the political and financing situation around transit (e.g., streetcar and light rail) and housing (i.e., a rental development boom) in Charlotte, which has paced the nation in growth over the past decade.

February 21, 2014 - Fast Co.Exist

The Feb. 2 spill of coal ash slurry from a Duke Energy containment pond has taken a new turn with a federal grand jury issuing subpoenas for records from both Duke Energy and the state environmental regulator.

February 17, 2014 - The Charlotte Observer

The coal ash spill, 82,000 tons as of Feb. 8 after being detected on Feb. 2, comes from a pond adjacent to a closed, coal-burning Duke Energy power plant. It is said not to pose a threat to drinking water, though the river has turned black and grey.

February 8, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S.

The Charlotte City Council approved $12 million in engineering work for a proposed 2.5-mile streetcar extension. The city hopes the investment will help it win federal funds for the $126 million project.

January 30, 2014 - Charlotte Observer

With occupancy rates rising faster in urban than suburban locations, some suburbs are remaking themselves into mixed-use communities with hi-rise office and residential towers; Tysons Corner, Va. and Research Triangle Park, N.C. among them.

January 21, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S.

Preparations for the $1.6 billion Blue Line extension project in Charlotte, North Carolina, are nearing completion. Officials have penciled in March to begin construction on the 9.3-mile light rail line.

January 15, 2014 - Charlotte Observer

The creator of a lauded guerrilla wayfinding project for Raleigh has launched a new website that allows users to duplicate his compelling signage for their communities.

September 28, 2013 - Pop-Up City

North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park has a problem: the massive business park is woefully outdated, in both economic and architectural terms. Can it regain its status as a cutting-edge center of innovation by taking a page from the New Urbanism?

September 22, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Since it has struggled with aggressive transit foes over half-cent sales taxes and light rail, Charlotte, North Carolina's transit system is launching a campaign to dispel myths about transit with crisp, clear infographics.

September 4, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Discussion on increasing user fee revenue has centered on increasing and/or indexing the gas tax and applying VMT fees. Now some are pushing a return of the original user fee - road tolls applied by states or regions on interstate highways.

August 2, 2013 - Governing

Don't let anyone tell you that planning isn't dangerous. Past APA President and current Raleigh Planning Director Mitchell Silver was allegedly punched by a resident opposed to rezoning that would allow the construction of a gas station.

June 28, 2013 - News & Observer