Very nice article from the Charlotte Observer about how University Place brought true development away from uptown and southeast Charlotte. It speaks to the lack of growth around the University prior to the construction of the “European-inspired urban village” shops at the lake.
The growth of the University area has done a lot to balance the grwoth of the great Charlotte area and Mecklenburg county. It has strengthened UNC Charlotte, better connected Concord and Harrisburg and brought in great assets to the city like Concord Mills and the new IKEA development. Now when designing a perfect city, would you decide early on to put its biggest University at least 10 minutes outside of the city proper? Probably not, but the decision was one of necessity at the time and Charlotte has adjusted and prospered.
Tags: architecture, city-planning, civil
