Since the 1950’s, many federal and state agencies have relied on the Census Bureau’s determination of urban areas to deliver funds, set standards and accomplish goals and objectives. The Census Bureau re-evaluates urban determination criteria with each Census year to ensure fair standards. On February 19, 2021, the Census Bureau published a notice in the Federal Register of newly proposed criteria for determining urban areas under the 2020 Decennial Census.

As Earth Day approaches, Centralina is thinking about how we can help promote sustainability in our region. We sat down with Sarah Hazel, City of Charlotte’s Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer, to discuss the benefits of setting and accomplishing sustainability goals.

CONNECT Our Future was an initiative that united residents, businesses, educators, elected officials, non-profit organizations and other interest groups around a common desire for more cooperation in the region and the need to work together to fulfill shared goals.

As part of the Centralina Learns local government training series, Centralina Regional Council partnered with the UNC Charlotte MPA Public Management Academy to give a sample of what they have to offer participants. The webinar, Building Budget Champions, pulled information from the Academy’s The Power of Data for Managers session, which features budget and resource strategies.

Professor Jim Douglas provided best practices on how to advocate for and secure resources in a competitive environment.

In 2016, Centralina’s Family Caregiver Program Coordinator Sara Maloney and Ashley Stevens aka “The Dementia Guru” convened community stakeholders to start the area’s very own chapter of Dementia Friendly America. With help from Centralina Area Agency on Aging, UNC Charlotte’s Gerontology Program and members from local government aging programs, the volunteer-based organization became known as Dementia Friendly Charlotte Mecklenburg (DFCM).

The perception that innovation costs money or requires technology often deters local governments from pursuing new practices. Sometimes innovation is merely using a new or creative method. That’s exactly what the City of Charlotte sought to accomplish with the Placemaking Grant Program. It puts innovation in the hands of the community.