CHARP

The Community Campus Forum was a big success and at CHARP we hope to build on that success. Correspondents from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Lynn Roberson and Kendall Cook) wrote about the event and the story has landed on the front page of the CLAS website. Community Partnership Expands Connections at UNC […]

CHARP invited residents from Reid Park, Greater Enderly Park, and Graham Heights to come together to learn more about the new Affordable Healthcare Act. Resident input was sought on how best to get the word out about signing up for health insurance and where to access resources and assistance with navigating the process. 15 residents […]

A new report finds that 1 in 5 homes bought in the Charlotte MSA went to investors. That is the highest rate in the country behind Atlanta. This trend highlights the changing nature of neighborhoods and the growing amount of people who rent. A question arises of how CHARP and other community-university partnerships can still […]

An older story but an interesting one nonetheless where an impoverished and struggling neighborhood has been slated for demolition. Rather than a public housing community, this neighborhood in Champaign, IL called Bristol Place is a neighborhood of private houses. A largely African-American community it had lately suffered from alleged high crime and low property values. […]

Chuck McShane wrote an article about Joe Howarth’s master’s thesis research regarding where grant funds are landing in Charlotte. Although marginalized neighborhoods value the grants, they have been unable to gain access to them at the same rate as more stable neighborhoods. Do city grants go where they are needed most?

The new year brings growing relationships and more opportunties between UNC Charlotte and Charlotte neighborhoods. Students will begin working with Enderly Park and our new neighborhood partner, Washington Heights. For more information about CHARP, please see our backfile of CHARP stories.

The author has an interesting perspective about the city and its complicated history. The article has both hope and misery. People are still fighting for their city as Detroit shrinks. Also, the article is very critical of fly-by-night protests. An article that challenges you to think critically about city planning, neighborhood organizing, and the future […]

Tara Bengle and Melissa Currie were nominated for the PEO Scholar Award and were featured in the most recent issue of The Graduate Source. Congratulations to both of them. Spring-2014-Graduate-Source.pdf

The people at University Advancement helped CHARP create a great promo starring our Program Director Dr. Janni Sorensen to spread the word about CHARP. The video link below explains our mission, our action research focus in how we work with neighborhoods, and our ability to offer opportunities for faculty and students to get involved in […]

Melissa Currie, Tara Bengle, and Joe Howarth presented research at the Urban Affairs Conference regarding work that stemmed from CHARP’s partnership with Charlotte neighborhoods. Melissa Currie discussed her current dissertation research regarding the resiliency of starter home communities in Charlotte. Tara Bengle outlined the popular education model and how it is being employed for empowerment […]

Students and residents came together this past weekend to rework and reopen the community garden located near the Nia Point Apartments. The event had music, games, and a lot of hard work to get the garden cleared, tilled, and replanted for the season. Those in attendance planted corn, carrots, collards, flowers, and squash. Residents hope […]

Residents of Windy Ridge in partnership with CHARP, the Charlotte Fire Department, City of Charlotte’s Neighborhood & Business Services, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department hits the streets and knocked on doors to extend the olive branch and connect neighbors to each other and the services offered in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Students from Dr. Sorensen’s […]

Farm Pond residents had a blast as they came together and celebrated their community this past Saturday (April 29th). Youth and adults showed up to enjoy some music, food, games/activities, and to obtain resources. The American Red Cross partnered for the event and provided valuable resources to residents about their services. Other resources, such as […]

CHARP was greatly inspired by our recent visit from Dr. Ken Reardon, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Memphis. As a long time community activist, Ken has worked in East St. Louis, New York City and Memphis in an effort to empower and collaborate with people facing the direst structural […]

Dr. Janni Sorensen, Liz Shockey, and Joe Howarth presented original research from our summer evaluation this past weekend at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Conference in Cincinnati. Our presentation centered around CHARP’s history, a reflection on our sucesses and struggles in a variety of community-university partnerships, and the prominent themes that stemmed […]

A new semester begins for CHARP. We already have a lot happening in our partner neighborhoods. Prof. Sorensen’s GEOG 2000 class will be working with Graham Heights, Enderly Park, and College Downs which is right across the street from UNCC’s campus. We have stronger relationships with our neighborhood partners than ever before. We hope to […]

Fascinating article about how The Truly Disadvantaged by W. J. Wilson created a new way of looking at poverty and the impact that book had on future academics. The Neighborhood Effect

Prof. Sorensen began a dialogue with members of the College Downs Community in 2010. In the summer of 2012 this partnership was reinvigorated with the creation of the Friends of Miss Bonnie (FOMB). Based in the College Downs neighborhood, the FOMB strives to improve communication between long-time residents, students living in College Downs, and UNC […]

An open forum will be held at Johnson C. Smith in Biddle Hall’s Sarah Belk Gambrell Auditorium on Wednesday Feb. 6th. at 6:30pm. City Councilpersons John Autry, James Mitchell, Patsy Kinsey, and Malcolm Graham will be on hand along with Dr. Ronald Carter of JCSU, Clay Grubb, Mary Newsom, and Billy Maddalon. The discussion will […]

The City of Charlotte is holding public meetings to explain and promote the new Quality of Life Study. The study is vastly different than in previous years and the document below is the official media release. 01-28-13_Quality_of_Life_Study_Public_Meetings__MEDIA_RELEASE.doc

Innovators are exploring creative ways to bring food into food deserts. One such use is a mobile grocery store. The article below discusses the merit and possible effectiveness of this strategy to combat food deserts. Can “Pop-Up” Grocery Stores Solve the Problem of Food Deserts?

In an effort to create an agriculture corridor along North Tryon, the North End Opportunity Farm is set to open near the Charlotte Urban Ministry. With a commitment to only hiring the homeless, the farm proposes to create jobs but also provide fresh food to downtown Charlotte with the support of downtown restaurants. The links […]

The maps at the links below show creative ways to demonstrate the impact or lack of impact sports stadiums have on the overall revenue a city receives from their investments in sport stadiums. The first link shows a heat map of sales in Atlanta, GA before and after the Men’s Final Four. At the bottom […]

WFAE, Charlotte’s National Public Radio station, is hosting a forum called Public Conversations to discuss how Charlotte is growing and how it can thrive in the future. Moderated by WFAE’s Julie Rose, the conversation will address if Charlotte has invested in its Uptown at the expense of neighborhood improvements or if a vibrant Center City […]