Long neglected, Charlotte’s ‘Corridors of Opportunity’ could be the key to a more equitable city

A skyline that sprouts new buildings at a dizzying pace. Neighborhoods dotted with new breweries and renovated mills. Thousands of new apartments springing up beside light rail lines. The signs of Charlotte’s booming prosperity are everywhere. But that prosperity isn’t spread evenly. And from Charlotte’s “corridors of opportunity,” it can seem a long way off, more like a distant promise than the city’s reality. Beatties Ford Road is one of six areas included in the city’s Corridors of Opportunity initiative. In our series In Focus: Corridors of Opportunity, WFAE will follow initiatives by the city of Charlotte and outside groups to target resources to six areas that have long been neglected. WFAE will examine the decisions, key activities and progress throughout the next year. We’ll also take a closer look at the rich histories of these communities and the people and businesses that contribute to their resilience and vitality. Many of the neighborhoods surrounding the main thoroughfares into uptown Charlotte had historically been largely overlooked places where residents, many who are low income and belong to communities of color, watched the city’s boom from the sidelines. Now those communities once labeled “fragile” and “threatened” are the centerpiece of Charlotte’s […]

You may also like...