An important part of any planning process is the periodic evaluation or assessment of accomplishments and the identification of activities that remain. To that end, Centralina is pleased to announce that we are embarking on a five-year review of our region’s groundbreaking growth plan, CONNECT Our Future. Over the next months, we will be evaluating accomplishments and highlighting data and local and regional successes for the purpose of informing our future priorities.

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.

In addition to addressing known community issues, the initiative took a holistic approach to educate and empower the community to become advocates for themselves. These are a few steps Vincent Wong and the association took to foster a model of shared governance.

According to Project for Public Spaces, placemaking “refers to a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to maximize shared value.