Future Charlotte: The Podcast

Michael Gallis is a longtime planner with a big idea for Charlotte: Throw out the city's transit expansion plans and start from scratch. Gallis, who's been involved in some of the big plans guiding Charlotte's future, doesn't hold back when he talks about what's wrong with Charlotte's plans and how the city should do something different. Gallis joined the Future Charlotte podcast to talk about transit, transportation, what's driving economic growth and why the city he nicknames "Boosterville" needs to get real about the threats looming on the horizon, from climate change to a lack of equitable growth.

Charlotte loves its trees. But are we willing to do all that we can to save them? That's the paradoxical question confronting Jane Singleton Myers, executive director of TreesCharlotte. The city's iconic tree canopy has shrunk from 49% to 45% coverage as of 2017, and likely more in the five years since the last comprehensive measurement. Myers joined the Future Charlotte podcast to talk about how Charlotte can preserve its tree canopy, why it matters that we do so (hint: shade and rain), and how a city that loves both growth and trees can balance competing interests. Myers also talks about her favorite tree, and why trees hold such a powerful place in many of our childhood memories.

From seemingly endless heat waves in the west to catastrophic floods from Kentucky to Pakistan, a drumbeat of extreme weather has dominated the news this summer. In Charlotte, it can feel like we're not on the front lines of climate change — we're not on the coast watching sea levels creep up, or out west watching rivers wither under record droughts — but we're seeing the effects too. Hotter, muggier summers, heavier downpours, stronger storms. And we're going to see more changes in the coming years. There are few people watching our weather as closely as Brad Panovich, chief meteorologist for WCNC, and few people who provide as much information about our climate and post as prolifically, and on as many platforms. He joined the Future Charlotte podcast to discuss everything from why it feels like our summers are muggier and grosser-feeling than they used to be (hint: dewpoints), what Charlotte's climate will look like in the future and what we can do locally to address impacts such as more rainfall, flash floods and the biggest weather-related killer — heat. Panovich also lets us in on what's his favorite season, why Charlotte is a good place to be a meteorologist and what he'd change about Charlotte if he could change anything (it's not the weather).

When it comes to the creative scene, Charlotte isn't often mentioned in the same breath as peer cities like Austin or Nashville. After all, our city's unofficial tagline is “Banktown,” not “Music City” or “Keep Austin Weird.” But Charlotte does have a thriving creative community. And a new study by the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute provides more details about that community's assets, challenges and what we can do to provide artists, singers, graphic designers and other creatives with more support. Based on a survey of more than 630 local creatives, this new study found many encouraging signs. A majority of Charlotte creatives said they're happy working here, and that the city offers a supportive environment. But there were also trouble spots. Many creatives described financially precarious situations, having to work other jobs to make ends meet, and a sense that, to truly be appreciated, they need to leave Charlotte and work elsewhere. Charlotte is Creative co-founders Tim Miner and Matt Olin, who commissioned this study, join Future Charlotte to talk about the city's creative community. We tackle questions like "Is Charlotte creative?" (Yes), why some creatives feel like they have to leave to Charlotte to succeed, and why it matters that our creative community is healthy. More information: https://www.charlotteiscreative.com/ Full survey: https://bit.ly/CLTCreativeSurvey

Charlotte's seen rapid growth over the past several decades, but many say that boom has come at the cost of inclusivity and, perhaps, even a bit of the city's soul. With the loss of many historic buildings and without much of an identifiable design vernacular — aside, perhaps, from the profusion of five-story apartment buildings — Charlotte's even been accused of looking bland. And many of the city's residents have been excluded from decision-making about Charlotte's growth, exemplified most strikingly in the urban renewal program that demolished Black neighborhoods such as Brooklyn in uptown Charlotte. A new design paradigm could start to change that, however. Sekou Cooke is the Director of the Master of Urban Design Program at UNC Charlotte, and the author of “Hip-Hop Architecture,” a book published in 2021. He joins Future Charlotte to talk about what hip-hop architecture is, what it isn't, and why we need to change the way we build things.

One of Charlotte's quintessential suburban communities has big plans to transform itself into a dense, walkable, mixed-use center. Greenways, sidewalks, protected bike lanes and transit would replace the car-choked expressways and huge parking lots that dominate the auto-centric area now. We're not talking about Ballantyne or SouthPark. Leaders in University City — Charlotte's second-largest employment district and youngest neighborhood — are betting they can take a part of the city that developed in the heyday of the car and turn it into a walkable neighborhood. Tobe Holmes, interim executive director of University City Partners, joins the Future Charlotte podcast to talk about how they're reorienting development away from the suburban patterns that have long defined the area, how University City is establishing an identity in a place that's long seemed like a somewhat anonymous collection of office parks and houses, and the challenges of reengineering a road network over which the city has only limited control.

When WFAE, The Charlotte Ledger and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute launched a joint newsletter last year to cover transit and transportation, we assumed that the main focus would be the 1-cent transit sales tax vote. Well, that vote didn't happen and the transit plan is in a bit of limbo, but we've still found plenty to write about, from Chick-fil-A's humongous backups to the NC DOT's yawning budget hole, the "stigma" facing bus riders to the real reason there are no plans for a train directly to the airport. Hear from Ely Portillo (UNC Charlotte), Steve Harrison (WFAE) and Tony Mecia (Charlotte Ledger) about what's next for getting around in our city. Sign up for the newsletter at www.transittimeclt.com.

Corporate landlords like American Homes 4 Rent and Invitation Homes now own 40,000 single-family homes across North Carolina. In Mecklenburg County, they now account for one in four rental properties. That's according to a new, months-long investigation by the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News & Observer. The series, "Security for Sale," details how Wall Street-backed companies built a money-making machine in the aftermath of the Great Recession, buying huge portfolios of houses and converting them into financial products. Tyler Dukes, one of the investigative reporters behind the series, joined the "Future Charlotte" podcast this week to talk about the rise of the Wall Street landlords in Charlotte and across the state, and what this might mean for the future of one of the fundamental ways we build weatlh and security in the U.S.

John Holmes III was a budding urbanist in Charlotte, reading books like "Street Fight" and wondering why we built our cities to drive everywhere. A Marine veteran working at Chick-fil-A, Holmes was trying to reconcile his workplace's busy drive-thru with his own ideas about building better cities. When he posted his opinion online about new drive-thru-only restaurants, he quickly found himself out of a job and into the spotlight.

Lots of people want to make Charlotte less car-dependent. Harrison Tucker, the CEO of SpaceCraft, is taking concrete steps to do so. He's the developer behind the Joinery, a parking-free apartment building along the Blue Line in Charlotte. The city's first such development, Tucker's project is a test case for Charlotte - are enough people ready for a car-free (or car-lite) lifestyle to make it work?

Charlotte is usually described as a car-dependent city, where you have to have an automobile to effectively get around. Pam Murray tries to show that's not the case, living her life almost car-free in sprawling Charlotte. And she thinks a lot more of us could be doing the same - even if it sounds a little daunting at first.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is one of the busiest hubs in the world, despite the city of Charlotte's modest size. That disproportionate air service is usually cited as one of the city's biggest economic advantages. But COVID-19 impacted the air travel industry in a profound way, with Charlotte Douglas in the midst of a multibillion-dollar expansion program. How is the airport coping - even thriving - and what's next for CLT?

What if the future looks radically different? That's the vision of Curators, a collective of young, multinational designers who hope to build something very different in Charlotte. Join us as we talk about two pilot ideas: Controlled indoor farming with solar panel glass windows to bring fresh food onto every block, and the Next City. See more at www.wecurators.com

Donald Shoup (www.shoupdogg.com) is a distinguished research professor at UCLA in the department of urban planning. His work revolutionized the way a lot of people viewed the impact of parking, development rules and land economics in cities, and he continues to produce provocative work about the ways parking can degrade our urban environment. It's not too much of a stretch to say he's made parking, a seemingly totally mundane topic, into something fascinating — and consequential for the health and future of our cities.

Technology and artificial intelligence are starting to reshape every aspect of our lives, and the built environment is next. Ben Goebel, an architect with Gresham Smith in Charlotte, joins Future Charlotte to talk about how wearables, biometrics, advanced sensors, video cameras and AI can help designers make spaces that are less stressful, more efficient and better designed - and how we can avoid the "Big Brother" factor that might conjure up.

Let's get a little nerdy and jump right into the alphabet soup of zoning, land use, planning and development on this episode. Join us for a talk with Keba Samuel and Phillip Gussman about why the city's planning effort wasn't finished with the 2040 plan's passage, what happens next, and why your input on the policy map and other parts of the plan is vital, right now. You can go to www.cltfuture2040.com to learn more, and send feedback to the city through that website or via cltfuture2040@charlottenc.gov.

When it comes to urban design, Charlotte sometimes has a reputation for being bland. But that's not the whole story, and the new Urban Design Awards - the Urbies - are celebrating some of the real design achievements in our city. This episode, join former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, Damon Hemmerdinger of ATCO Properties (the developers behind Camp North End) and UNC Charlotte Prof. Deb Ryan to hear about the Urbies, how design in Charlotte is getting better, what's still holding us back - and what we can do about it.

Charlotte has a reputation for tearing down grand old buildings and replacing them with bland new apartments. But that's not the whole story. Dan Morrill, longtime preservationist and co-founder of Preserve Mecklenburg, and Tommy Lee, a textile executive and Preserve Mecklenburg board member, talk about keeping pieces of the past alive. A development-friendly, market-based preservation strategy can leave everyone "happy as a church mouse," Morrill said.

Water seems like a limitless resource - just turn on the faucet and it's there for you - until it's not. Charlotte is a city adjacent to a major series of manmade lakes, split by hundreds of streams, but it's easy to ignore the central role water plays in our lives if you're not paying attention. Hear from Catawba Riverkeeper Brandon Jones about how he keeps watch on over 9,000 miles of linear streams, what the biggest challenges facing our water are (hint: growth), and how we can all play a part in protecting our most important, most overlooked resource.

We talk a lot about infrastructure and new developments on this show - the buildings, roads, rail lines and more that define our next chapter. On this episode, we focus on the industry that actually builds those things, construction. Marcus Rabun, an industry veteran and CEO of Myers & Chapman, breaks down what changes are coming, how the industry can build the skilled workforce it needs, and how construction firms are still dealing with the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic in Charlotte.

Charlotte's known for its lush tree canopy - if you've flown into the city, you know how it feels a bit like landing in a forest when you approach. But that canopy is under threat. We're losing three football fields a day worth of trees. And the trees we have aren't equitably distributed, with lower-income and minority neighborhoods enjoying significantly less canopy cover. In a warming world, trees matter more than ever. Learn about the future of Charlotte's tree canopy with Doug Shoemaker, a UNC Charlotte researcher and expert.

With the COVID-19 pandemic easing and big banks preparing to call employees back, tens of thousands of workers in uptown Charlotte are confronting a question they haven't thought about for more than a year: Where am I going to park? Parking is a major expense for many, and the future of post-pandemic parking will help determine how auto-dependent Charlotte develops going forward. We talk with Roger Stacks, CEO and owner of Preferred Parking, about what his company has seen during the pandemic, how they're adapting to a hybrid work future, and what the future of parking in Charlotte might look like.

In parts of Charlotte, people routinely live into their 80s. In other neighborhoods just a few miles away - or even next door - the average age of death is in just the 60s. What accounts for the huge disparities in health, and what can we do about problems like food deserts, lack of access to healthcare and unequal housing? Dr. Jerome Williams of Novant Health explores these issues, and what changes can help us close the gaps, on this episode.

Is Charlotte a good city for minority entrepreneurs? What do minority-owned businesses need to survive? What special challenges do Black and brown entrepreneurs face? This episode, we're joined by Les Lambert from Bank of America, James Whitner, founder of the Whitaker Group and operator of boutique stores like Social Status, and Angelique Gaines, a social research specialist at the Urban Institute who has studied this topic.

When architect Stephen Overcash came to Charlotte in 1979, uptown was called downtown, liquor-by-the-drink was a new concept and a skyline full of towers was decades in the future. On this episode, we reflect on Charlotte's awkward teenage years, how the city's grown and what might come next in a post-covid world.

Meet Rickey Hall and Zack Wyatt, two people in Charlotte working to change our industrial food system and make it more local, sustainable and equitable. Zack is president and CEO of the Carolina Farm Trust, which operates urban farms in and around Charlotte. Rickey is chair of the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition, which is combatting food deserts and food insecurity in underserved neighborhoods. Hear about why our food system grew to be so inequitable, how Mecklenburg County moved away from its history of farming, and how we can start to change things locally.

When it comes to making the ground floor of a new building "cool," with shops, a bar, restaurants or other retail, Adam Williams is one of the first calls developers make in Charlotte. Williams, a principal at Legacy Real Estate Advisors, talks about the ins and outs of making cool spaces from a business perspective, why all the not-so-pretty stuff like grease traps and HVAC systems are crucial for new developments, and what the future of retail might look like in Charlotte post-covid. Williams is also host of the Retail Redeveloped podcast - give it a listen or a follow on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retail-redeveloped/id1337200231

From Germany to Portland to Charlotte, Brook Muller - dean of the College of Arts + Architecture - has amassed a wide-ranging perspective on architecture, design and sustainability. Hear what he thinks Charlotte needs less of (hint: parking), what we need more of (outdoor space plays a big role), and how he lives in Charlotte without a car.

Join two members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission and learn about how Charlotte's future is actually planned, how citizens can have input, and why it's important to pay attention before controversies erupt. We also discuss the city's proposed 2040 comprehensive plan, which has drawn opposition because of changes to single-family-only zoning and proposals like someday pursuing mandatory inclusionary zoning for affordable housing.

Darrel Williams didn't grow up imagining he could be an architect, a profession that seemed closed to a Black boy like him in Louisiana. But after some hot summers doing manual labor and a couple of chance encounters, Williams' life path changed. Now, the former county commission member, founding partner and owner of Neighboring Concepts is shaping Charlotte's future. Hear what Williams says we need to do to create a more inclusive, better designed city in the years to come.

As the Charlotte region grows, our air is under threat: Particle pollution from vehicles, ground level ozone, pollution from coal and natural gas power plants and more all contribute to an invisible-yet-serious challenge. June Blotnick, executive director of Clean Air Carolina, joins to talk about how our air quality can be improved, why pollution is an unequal burden on many communities, and how past decisions about segregation and land use worsen pollution in our community today. Listen, and find out more at https://cleanaircarolina.org/.

Two questions hang over the eerily open sidewalks, quiet restaurants, hushed office towers and near-empty Blue Line cars in Charlotte's center city: When will everyone come back – and what happens if they don't? Charlotte Center City Partners CEO explains why he thinks the city's core is "uniquely positioned to compete" when the pandemic abates.

Is the city we're building today undermining our future? We're talking with Sustain Charlotte's Meg Fencil and Shannon Binns about how the choices we make right now about land use, transportation and development are helping us create a more sustainable future for our city - and what the consequences are if we don't.

Astrid Chirinos is a longtime advocate for Charlotte's immigrants and a force in the community. A native of Venezuela, hear why she made North Carolina her home, and why she wants people to remember that belonging isn't just about having a seat at the table - it's about whether you can order from the menu.

Our challenges in Charlotte extend far beyond the city limits: Traffic congestion, pollution and the need for economic growth don't respect jurisdiction lines. Geraldine Gardner is at the forefront of the effort to pursue a regional approach to our issues, as Executive Director of the Centralina Regional Council. Hear how she's working to build a regional future, and why she doesn't put much credence in the notion of an "urban-rural divide."

In his role as Executive Director of the Catawba Lands Conservancy, Bart Landess has a front row seat to development and our region's approach to preserving open space. Hear how people around our region are recognizing the value of keeping some land from development, why trails are an economic development tool, and what we need to do to work together more effectively.

David Walters is a longtime urbanist, and a specialist at explaining urban design topics to laypersons without jargon. A professor emeritus of urban design and architecture at UNC Charlotte, Walters joins Future Charlotte to talk about what makes a livable neighborhood, why we need to put people before cars, and why "if we don't do something, we're screwed."

What will Charlotte look like in 20 years? Join experts from a variety of fields to explore a different facet of this question on each episode, as we dive deep into one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. On today's episode, we talk with Jack Thomson, executive director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, about what it means to be a shiny "New South" city, why saving some of our past is worth it, and why historic preservationists aren't "hysteric preservationists."

What will Charlotte look like in 20 years? Join experts from a variety of fields to explore a different facet of this question on each episode, as we dive deep into one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. In today's episode, we talk to Charlotte Area Transit System Planner Jason Lawrence. How we get around our city is becoming more and more complex as traffic worsens, but paying for new means of mobility could cost billions. The real question: Can we afford not to?

What will Charlotte look like in 20 years? Join experts from a variety of fields to explore a different facet of this question on each episode, as we dive deep into one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. Charlotte is a city riven by historic patterns of segregation, and not all neighborhoods have prospered equally. Today we talk with J'Tanya Adams, founder and program director of Historic West End Partners, about how our city could grow more equitably in the future and avoid some of the injustices of the past.

What will Charlotte look like in 20 years? Join experts from a variety of fields to explore a different facet of this question on each episode, as we dive deep into one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. Today, we talk with planning director Taiwo Jaiyeoba about what it means to be a change agent, how new plans could reshape the city, and why (if he had a magic wand), he'd close a few streets permanently.

What will Charlotte look like in 20 years? Join experts from a variety of fields to explore a different facet of this question on each episode, as we dive deep into one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. On this episode, we talk to Clayton Sealey, a self-described development nerd who's been following, writing about and stirring things up in Charlotte's development scene for years, both as himself and @CLTDevelopment on Instagram and Twitter.

What will Charlotte look like in 20 years? Join experts from a variety of fields to explore a different facet of this question on each episode, as we dive deep into one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. In today's episode, we talk to Brian Cox, a Park and Recreation Commission member in Mecklenburg County. We've historically ranked low for park space and access. With growth gobbling up more and more green space, can we expand our parks enough to keep pace?