Lawns are a holdover from 18th-century England and France that have no business dominating our American landscapes. Making lawns survive in the hot and humid South is expensive, time-intensive, and input-intensive. Worst of all, HOAs can institutionalize this expense in ways that exclude low-income tenants and perpetuate housing segregation. Most gardening columns focus exclusively on […]
Posted inGreenway, Bike and Walk, Carrboro, Connectivity
An accessible Bolin Creek Greenway will transform Carrboro — for all
The freelance writer Margaret Kingsbury wrote an essay last year in which she talked about existing barriers to accessing greenways in her community. Those barriers — unpaved walkways, paths without wheelchair accessibility — make it difficult for people with disabilities to walk or roll along urban greenways. Currently, people who use wheelchairs and strollers and […]
Posted inBike Beat, Bike and Walk, Connectivity, Greenway
May is Bike Month in Chapel Hill and Carrboro!
May is National Bike Month. All across the country, communities celebrate National Bike Month by hosting events and workshops. There are a ton of events that are taking place across Carrboro and Chapel Hill for Bike Month. We’ve rounded them all up here. Some highlights: Wednesday, May 3 National Bike and Roll to School Day! […]
Posted inCarrboro, Greenway
Chuck Flink: Greenways are an essential part of a sustainable, connected community
I recently attended a lecture at the Chapel Hill Public Library by Chuck Flink, an award-winning author, planner and landscape architect who has designed greenways in 250 communities, in 35 states, and in Europe, Asia, and South America over the past four decades. Flink is known worldwide for his greenway work, and has received four […]
Posted inChapel Hill, Chapel Hill Town Council, Housing
They Said Yes: For the first time in years, the Chapel Hill Town Council Approves New Housing Downtown
They said yes. After years of rejecting proposals to build new apartment buildings downtown, on Wednesday night the Chapel Hill Town Council voted 9-0 to approve a seven-story apartment building on the corner of Columbia and Rosemary. This new project will be built by Grubb Properties, who is already building several buildings (including a wet […]
Posted inChapel Hill, Housing, Public Comment, Transportation
Six Joni Mitchell Songs Other Than ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ That People in Chapel Hill Should Listen To
It’s happened again. Someone has written to the Chapel Hill Town Council imploring them not to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot.” When I hear someone use those lyrics when discussing the possible development of housing, I immediately know I have encountered an unfortunately not-so-rare breed: the Boomer NIMBY (BoomBY™). Blending the worst […]