UNC Charlotte Urban Institute

Last weekend, Sydney Idzikowski, associate director of the Charlotte Regional Data Trust, and Katie Zager, research associate at Charlotte Urban Institute, went on the drive of a lifetime -- all in the name of community climate science!

The two volunteered to record neighborhood temperatures across Charlotte for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s 2024 Urban Heat Island mapping campaign. The local campaign is led by the Charlotte Heat Mappers, a coalition of community organizations, nonprofit and government entities led by UNC Charlotte’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences.

The group is currently mapping urban heat variations across Charlotte as the city is one of 14 U.S. communities and four international cities selected by the NOAA.

According to NOAA, extreme heat has been the #1 weather-related cause of death in the U.S. for the last 30 years. Urban heat islands, or areas with few trees and more pavement that absorbs heat, can be up to 20-degrees hotter than neighborhoods with more trees, grass, and less asphalt. The health risk burden associated with extreme heat is not distributed, equitably and disproportionately affects, vulnerable populations, such as low-income communities and communities of color.

For more info about this project, click here: https://inside.charlotte.edu/news-features/2024-04-16/unc-charlotte-researchers-lead-community-science-heat-mapping-campaign/https://inside.charlotte.edu/news-features/2024-04-16/unc-charlotte-researchers-lead-community-science-heat-mapping-campaign/

Are corporate landlords good or bad?

What impact do they truly have on neighborhoods in Charlotte and who benefits from their existence? We help decode the recent housing phenomenon through a new multi-part series. We'll start here:

Understanding corporate landlords: Decoding a recent housing phenomenon – UNC Charlotte Urban Institute The term “corporate landlord” has gained significant attention across the United States in the last few years. Yet, despite all the news stories and legislation focusing on these entities, you may find yourself puzzled by the hype around them or how they relate to your community. You may even be...

Countywide, 22% of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students met the definition of chronically absent during the 2022-2023 school year, yet attendance is critical to student success. While absenteeism rates the past few years are shaped by the post-pandemic educational landscape, the places where rates are highest reflect long-standing disparities and barriers to school attendance.

Read more about the persistence of student abseentism in Mecklenburg County here:

Student Absenteeism Persists in Mecklenburg County – UNC Charlotte Urban Institute New data published to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Quality of Life Explorer shows that the rates of chronic absenteeism, when a student misses 10% or more of days in a school year – excused or not, among students in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) remain elevated. Countywide, 22% of students met ...

Tax season is another reminder that racial inequities in wealth and income run deep. And, while the federal individual income tax and a few of its associated programs help reduce some inequities, there are expenditures that cause it to fall short.

Learn more from the Urban Institute about "How the Federal Income Tax System Can Worsen Racial Disparities":

How the Federal Income Tax System Can Worsen Racial Disparities Reforms to the child tax credit, capital gains tax, and other policies could make the

In 2010, 464 new residential units were permitted to be built in Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville, North Carolina. Since then, there's been somewhat of a housing boom with 2,600 units permitted between 2019-2021. Homes are larger, more expensive, and those who work in northern Mecklenburg County, likely can't afford to live near their jobs.

Learn more about what Lake Norman Economic Development Corporation and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute discovered in the 2023 North Mecklenburg Housing Needs Assessment here: https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/2023-north-mecklenburg-housing-needs-assessment

How does a neighborhood advocate drive effective change where they live? Data helps.

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute equips changemakers across the Charlotte region with key information and insights that not only empower them, but also informs their community advocacy efforts - helping them to champion equitable and inclusive change.

Just ask Jamaal Kinard, director of the Lakeview Neighborhood Alliance and member of the Charlotte Regional Data Trust's Board of Directors, how he uses tools from the Charlotte Urban Institute to uplift his community. Or, you can read about it in this University of North Carolina at Charlotte feature here: https://features.charlotte.edu/data-driven

We are honored to have Jamall as one of our own!

Data Driven UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute is empowering communities to push for inclusive change

Thank you to all attendees and participants of the 2024 Schul Forum!

Because of you and your contributions, The Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City buzzed with excitement, curiosity, inspiration, meaningful conversations, and new and fortified connections across members of local and national communities. That's part of the work that moves us from here (where we are today) to there (the equitable and inclusive future we envision). Whether we meet in spaces of arts & culture, communities of faith, mixed-income communities, or along the education continuum, we look forward to seeing you all again - especially at the next Schul Forum in 2025.

Stay tuned for a recap of the 2024 Schul Forum! Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop regarding future conversations and events at ui.charlotte.edu.

Keynote panelist (left to right): Byron P. White, Ed.D, Valerie C. Cooper, Th.D., Usha Srinivasan, Megan Gallagher, and Mark Joseph, Ph.D.

Photo credit: Amy Hart, UNC Charlotte University Communications

DID YOU KNOW?: The places where we connect in the Charlotte region, and the cross-class relationships that grow from them, could improve quality of life outcomes and greater economic well-being.

Join us, the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, on Feb. 1 from 1-5:30 p.m. at The Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City, for the 2023-2024 Schul Forum. We'll explore, with national and local experts, the challenges and opportunities of connecting across differences. Learn more and register for this FREE and engaging event here:

Schul Forum 2024: Our Connecting Spaces | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute | UNC Charlotte Tuesday, January 16, 2024Schul Forum SeriesConsider for a moment, the spaces and places where we connect with one another: our neighborhoods, schools, houses of worship, the places where we work, play, and create. What builds authentic relationships within them? What are the factors that prevent bon...

On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when we honor the life, legacy and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who dedicated his life to the pursuit of equality for all people, we were delighted to attend MLK Day 2024: Truth & Reconciliation at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.

We were equally excited to see a familiar face moderating the Civil Rights & Equity: Arts, Culture, & History discussion, the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute’s own Research Associate, Angelique Gaines! Together, Mecklenburg County Commissioner Arthur Griffin, the Knight Foundation’s Charles Thomas, and Winthrop University’s Dr. Jennifer Dixon-McKnight, explored equity with a focus on lived experiences and leadership, scholarly analysis, and arts investment.

We are grateful to the Gantt Museum and the Levine Museum of the New South for trusting voices from the UNC Urban Institute, and our region, who advocate for equitable solutions every day, to lead this important conversation and reflection on the intention and legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the historical patterns that have re-emerged, and the role the arts play in the ever-evolving movement towards true equity.

We're hiring!

Join the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute as a part-time, temporary research fellow for the West End Information Ecosystem Study. The position pays $20 per hour and requires 20 hours a week. Click here for applicant qualifications, required duties, more information, or to apply --> https://jobs.charlotte.edu/postings/52759

The data tells us...we're not moving.

The vast majority of people in the Charlotte region live in the same house as they did a year ago. However, Mecklenburg County, experiences higher levels of residential mobility than other counties in the region including Cabarrus, Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Union, and York County, South Carolina. When people do move, the moves are usually motivated by housing, jobs or family matters.

Why does residential mobility matter? It reveals a lot about an area. On one hand, high residential mobility reflects economic opportunity and a dynamic populace, while lower levels of mobility can help build feelings of community and affirm the local investment of residents.

Katie Zager, research associate, at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute shares more about residential mobility with WFAE here:

More people are staying put around Charlotte, tightening the housing market A new analysis from UNC Charlotte's Urban Institute finds more people are staying in their homes around the Charlotte region. That could have implications for people trying to break into the market.

We saved a seat for you!

On Thursday, Nov. 9, we'll meet national and local voices at the Intersection of Arts, Culture & Community to discuss the role the arts play in driving economic prosperity in the Charlotte region.

How can we make the most of opportunities in our creative spaces to improve economic prosperity? How do we ensure equitable access to, and diverse participation in, our region's arts and culture sector? How can we develop connections in creative spaces and what are the benefits for the community at large?

We'll explore proposed solutions to those questions and more. Learn about our second Schul Conversation of the year and register to join the conversation: https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/our-connecting-spaces-intersection-arts-culture-community

What does the Urban Institute really do? We seek solutions to the social, economic, and environmental challenges facing our region.

Thank you to The Charlotte Post for featuring our 2021 findings on the impact of corporate landlords on the leasing capabilities of our neighbors.

Read more:

Corporate landlords expand home affordability inequity Wall Street-backed companies raise rents beyond working class

Restructuring neighborhoods through mixed-income housing and place-based initiatives are both considered best practices in affordable housing, building community connections, and deconcentrating poverty. However, recent research tells another story. Sometimes, these efforts result in displacement of a community and its culture.

So, what truly builds community in place-based initiatives and mixed income housing? What creates authentic relationships? What prevents them and why does it matter?

On Oct. 26 at noon, we’ll begin to unpack these questions in the first of our fall Schul Conversations, "Our Connecting Spaces: Mixed-Income Housing and Place-Based Initiatives," a part of our Schul Forum Series.

Join in the discussion with panelists Mark Joseph, Ph.D., founding director, National Initiative on Mixed Income Communities; Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences; Case Western Reserve University; Andrew Case, Ph.D., a Gambrell Faculty Fellow and UNC Charlotte associate professor of Psychological Science & Health Psychology; Tiffany Capers, executive director, CrossRoads Corporation; Julie Porter, executive director, DreamKey Partners; and moderator Byron White, Ed.D., associate provost for Urban Research and Community Engagement. Register here --> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWyMn0vSVtEqIk8xi77Mhx63G88tG05hfLHlvh4lIPRCbvXg/viewform

Concerns about an “insect apocalypse” have grown more widespread in recent years. There’s a sense among scientists – and the general public – that we simply aren’t seeing as many insects as we used to. Ruth Ann Grissom, contributing writer for the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute newsletter, remembers driving through the Uwharries on summer nights when insects splattered the windshield like the first fat drops of rain from a sudden thunderstorm. In fact, scientists refer to this sense that something just isn’t right in the insect world as the “windshield phenomenon.”

Read more in the current edition of our newsletter

Surveys, Counts and Blitzes | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute | UNC Charlotte Thursday, July 27, 2023EnvironmentRuth Ann Grissom Concerns about an “insect apocalypse” have grown more widespread in recent years.  There’s a sense among scientists – and the general public – that we simply aren’t seeing as many insects as we used to.  I remember driving through the ...

Who wins the battle in your garden? Read more in the current edition of the, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte, newsletter. https://lnkd.in/gWXdh5s9

Is 'No Mow May' a good thing for the Piedmont? Read more https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/no-mow-may-catchy-it-good-thing

A quick review of the Mecklenburg County 's interactive maps reveal data-backed claim that Charlotte's neighborhoods (like those of many American cities) are highly segregated by and status. The two racial categories with the highest share of the county’s population are White (44.7% of county residents) and Black (29.1%). But at smaller geographies—the Quality of Life Explorer presents data by Neighborhood Profile Area ( )— racial demographics are not proportional to these countywide figures. Read more about by Design in the current edition of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute's newsletter at https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/segregation-design

Did you read the story written by Maris Bey, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute's intern who wrote about the W.T. Alexander Plantation Cemetery for enslaved persons that is part of the Mecklenburg County Historic Landmarks Commission? You can learn/read how a portion of the main campus is composed of land that was previously owned by W.T. Alexander who owned and operated a cotton plantation that reached 935 acres at its height and enslaved at least 30 individuals.

A Trip to the W.T. Alexander Plantation Cemetery for Enslaved Persons | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute | UNC Charlotte Wednesday, May 3, 2023HistoryMaris Bey, MSW InternAs a part of my internship with the Urban Institute, I completed a project on the history of race, racism, and resistance at UNC Charlotte. A significant component of this work focused on the land of UNC Charlotte’s campuses. Through this research,...

Three takeaways from a new report on and in . Read more in the current edition of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/uncc/ui-weekly-newsletter-2823267?e=69c41c4100

The Charlotte region is not building enough new housing. That reality helps explain why the people of greater Charlotte confront a growing affordability challenge. Read the Policy Essay in the current edition of the newsletter to learn about innovative solutions and policies on in .

Policy Essay: Reducing Policy Barriers to Housing Abundance | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute | UNC Charlotte Thursday, March 23, 2023Policy EssayAaron Houck The Charlotte region is not building enough new housing.  That reality helps explain why the people of greater Charlotte confront a growing affordability challenge. According to Canopy Realtor Association, the average sales price in the Charlotte regi...

is getting harder to build in What's your solution? Read more at

Affordable housing is getting harder to build in Charlotte. What's the solution? | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute | UNC Charlotte Thursday, March 23, 2023HousingDanielle Chemtob, Axios CharlotteEditor’s Note: This article is a part of a series of guest contributors considering the question, “What small tweak or large shift would you make in 2023 that would catalyze sustainable growth and ensure equitable wellbeing in our ...

UNC Charlotte Faculty stopping by the West Side Patio at the UrbanCORE Explore engaged scholarship open house, to talk with Associate Provost for Urban Research and Community Engagement, Dr. Byron White, Lori Thomas, Executive Director of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and Kailas Venkatisubramanian, director of Research Analytics, about Equity Indicators, the Community Innovation Incubator and equity impact areas that impact Charlotte. More information at https://ui.charlotte.edu/our-work

UNC Charlotte Provost, Alicia Bertone chatting with Dr. Byron White, Associate Provost for Urban Research and Community Engagement at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute & urbanCORE about the Community Innovation Incubator and equity impact areas. Learn more at https://ui.charlotte.edu/our-work

Environmental Education Teachers Workshop at Quest Carolina Raptor Center located within Latta Nature Preserve, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation in Huntersville, NC.

Who: NC Dept of Environmental Quality NC Division of Air Quality, Mecklenburg County Air Quality, Mecklenburg County Storm Water, and Mecklenburg Solid Waste

What: Join Air Quality, Storm Water, and Solid Waste outreach staff for an environmental education focused workshop. Learn activities you can do in your classroom and how local experts can work with your students! Content is great for middle & high school!

When: Monday, March 27, 2023 – 9am – 3pm (LUNCH IS PROVIDED)

Where: Quest Center at Latta Nature Preserve, Huntersville NC

REGRISTRATION IS FREE!!

To register, please visit: https://mecklenburgcounty.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5gKszpyHeoDelAG

Participants will receive Criteria III credit for the NC Environmental Educator Certification program run by the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs

FYI Wilson's World Meteorologist Elisa Raffa Carolina Raptor Center Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Charlotte Wildlife Stewards - a chapter of the NC Wildlife Federation Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services WSOC-TV Brad Panovich Meteorologist WCNC Charlotte WBTV News Queen City News NC Air Awareness

Ask anyone in Charlotte-Mecklenburg what issues are most important to them and you'll get a short list, things like the economy, the environment, housing and transportation. They're all areas where we face challenges. But what about solutions?

In the most recent edition of our newsletter, three Charlotte community leaders discuss where they would start in 2023. Read more at https://mailchi.mp/uncc/ui-weekly-newsletter-2823247

The latest edition of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute's newsletter looks into finding solutions to in 2023. Read more at https://mailchi.mp/uncc/ui-weekly-newsletter-2823247?e=69c41c4100

February is month and we have a story about, Just Her Rideshare, Inc., a woman-founded and Black-owned company whose mission is to build a safe community for women. Read more in the in the current edition of our newsletter

Building a rideshare company from scratch | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute | UNC Charlotte Friday, February 17, 2023Transit TimeLindsey Banks, Charlotte LedgerKimberly Evans grew up with the warning “stranger danger,” so when rideshare services like Uber and Lyft came into the picture, Evans was hesitant to use them.   Then, on March 29, 2019, Samantha Josephson, a 21-year-old stude...

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and the Charlotte Regional Data Trust partnered with The Relatives to better understand the young people they serve and young people’s understanding of the effective components of programs. The study and partnership provides a deeper understanding of young people in our community who have some of the most complex challenges and who have experienced multiple risk factors that can jeopardize their success. Read more in the current edition of our newsletter https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/connecting-stability-understanding-relatives-and-young-people-they-serve