Nitsch Engineering’s Post

Had an interesting call with the Charlotte Planning Department today regarding Charlotte Alignment Rezoning. They are currently comparing two maps - the current zoning map and the 2040 vision policy map - and then will be proposing batch rezoning or alignment rezoning to chart a future path for city development. This is a different approach than the more traditional rezoning which involves a property owner or potential property owner proposing the rezoning. The proposals will be made by the zoning department to the city council and then city council will vote on whether to approve the changes or not. I have mixed feelings about this plan. I like that there is some thought be given toward a future plan for our growing city. However, I am not a fan of government getting too involved in private property rights. More information can be found in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan link below. There will also be an in person meeting on April 4 to further discuss the issue. DM me for details.

Just attended the "Planning While Black: Sustaining an Inclusive Urban Renaissance" panel at the American Planning Association conference, and I'm truly inspired! It's a powerful reminder of how crucial equity is in urban planning. As planners, we must keep communities at the heart of every decision. Let's commit to making equity and inclusivity the foundation of our work. #UrbanPlanning #EquityInAction #APAConference

Opinion: Don’t destroy historic Bay Area neighborhoods to solve housing crisis In recent years, historic preservation has come under intense fire from state Sen. Scott Wiener and his YIMBY allies for allegedly interfering with housing production. However, the regional housing crisis can be solved without destroying historic neighborhoods. After coming of age in the late 1960s, preservation focused on properties associated with the nation’s elite. However, this has changed as the scope of what society thinks deserves protection has broadened. For example, did you know that San Francisco’s Tenderloin is the city’s largest historic district? Without historic preservation, we would have no Palace of Fine Arts, no Alamo Square, no Tonga Room, no Alcatraz and no Paramount Theater. The list goes on and on. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gyhMXX_M Photo: AP Photo | Marcio Jose Sanchez | 2008 file

Turning dreams into action means developing solutions for affordability in our city – especially related to housing attainability. Specifically, Nashville’s Black and African-American neighbors told us that, to feel at home in this city, they want to see low-cost housing options equally available to people of all walks of life and incentives to build a variety of housing options in all neighborhoods. Dig into the research on affordability and other key issues at https://lnkd.in/eGyq4YKx

One Small Thing vision is a justice system that can recognise, understand, and respond to trauma. Their mission is to redesign the justice system for women and their children, which has led them to open its residential community Hope Street. One Small Thing undertook a briefing process with Heatherwick Design Studio to create a Design Guide to provide an ambitious brief for what the project would achieve and how a trauma informed approach could be integrated. One Small Thing convened an excellent team through a quality-led procurement strategy. They resourced a thorough briefing process to communicate the vision for the project setting an ambitious brief. A collaborative consultation process with the core design team and end users with lived experience of the justice system ensured the project incorporated experience as well as theoretical research. Find out more about One Small Thing and the Hope Street project (entry submitted by Snug Architects ), a finalist in the Client of the Year Category sponsored by CLOCS , and its outcomes. https://buff.ly/4bFbr8s

I just finished reading the City of Charlotte 2040 Comprehensive policy plan and I must say it is a pretty good and well informed city development framework. I am curious to see how well it will or is being executed and how true it remains to its core values and principle. https://lnkd.in/etsSgAC4

As we continue #HousingFuturesMonth, it's crucial to acknowledge the profound impact of spatial injustice on our communities. Growing up in the 1960s and '70s, I witnessed firsthand how Black neighborhoods across the nation were systematically targeted and torn apart for urban renewal projects and highway construction. In my own hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, the construction of a new freeway fractured our community, displacing many and severing access to opportunity for those who remained. This history, shared by many Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, underscores the urgent need for change. Reparative spatial justice offers a path to confront these past injustices and design a more equitable future. Across the country, initiatives like the return of ancestral land to the Tongva people in Los Angeles and the housing reparations program in Evanston, Illinois, signal the beginning of a movement towards repair and redress in land and housing policy. Earlier this year at @PolicyLink, we announced our Spatial Futures Fellowship, which aims to uplift those dedicated to this cause, serving as the architects of a new America rooted in love for our communities. These changemakers are not merely critiquing; they are taking bold action to shape our collective future. #SpatialJustice #Reparations #CommunityTransformation Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gQhhVwdZ

What a great discussion about Urban challenges in Atlanta in the Urban Development Policy course at Georgia Tech School of Public Policy. Looking forward to more of these as the semester progresses!

Have you ever wondered about the poor state of roads in your neighborhood? And you wanted to do something about it but didn't know the way to do it so you moved on. I have faced a similar conundrum and I am sure a lot of other people do so. In my current work in Jana Urban Space, one of the projects I have to work on is civic engagement for urban development projects. In my research for it, I reached this insightful handbook made by Janaagraha which explains the ways you can become an active citizen and drive change in your neighborhood. So sharing it for everyone who wants to become an active citizen. Access the document here: https://lnkd.in/gYsZ93xe