
In more than three decades since she moved to the city, UNC Charlotte professor Deb Ryan has seen a lot of changes. At Charlotte City Council's annual retreat in January, Ryan said she thinks it’s time for the city to raise its expectations of developers.
“We’re not the needy little city we used to be,” Ryan said.

Sometimes it can feel like the world is drowning in data: Big data, data mining, data science, data analytics and other buzzwords have become so familiar as to be cliches.
But the meeting last week of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, held in Milwaukee, was also full of reminders about the power of data to tell stories and inform decision-making.

The world uses millions of tons of phosphorus per year in fertilizer, and almost all of that is mined. But Charlotte Water plans to start extracting the mineral from a new source: What you put down the drain.

Would Mecklenburg County’s farmers markets have more impact if they worked together? Would that give more people access to local foods? Would it help farmers? A Charlotte study looks for answers.
Michael J. Solender - Feb 12, 2018

As local foods from local farms grow more popular, some in Mecklenburg explore whether to push for a voluntary agricultural district to help local farmers. Only 12 N.C. counties lack one.

Agriculture and agribusiness are a big part of the North Carolina economy, and several programs and funds are available to assist farmers in protecting farmland.

A Cabarrus County-run farm to help fledgling farmers, one of only two in the state, lost county funding, as well as its electricity, July 1. Can the incubator farm survive as a nonprofit? Its many supporters in the region hope so. (Photo: Nancy Pierce)

One year after a nonprofit group took over a neglected corner of Garinger High's back lot, the grand opening of the Friendship Gardens Urban Farm welcomed the neighborhood, the school and local food enthusiasts to a celebration. (Photo: Marla J. Ehlers)