Centralina Regional Council is a regional organization focused on addressing the needs of member communities in our nine-county area and working collaboratively on issues that impact our region. We examine national, state and local trends impacting our member governments and identify their potential impacts to determine best practices for meeting needs and addressing challenges. This brief dives into current regional trends and how they are currently being addressed by Centralina, as well as how they will continue to be addressed in upcoming years.

2023 marks 30 years since the establishment of the Clean Cities Program through the Department of Energy (DOE). Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition (CCFC) is one of over 75 coalitions nationwide that work at the local level to advance clean, affordable transportation fuel technologies and systems along with energy-efficient mobility systems. This past month, our CCFC team was out and about in our region and beyond, championing issues surrounding clean energy and enhanced mobility.

CONNECT Beyond is a bold regional mobility plan that sets the vision for how to better connect the rural, suburban, and urban communities in our 12-county region. This plan will guide and coordinate future mobility investments for the next two decades and serve as a blueprint for implementing a robust, integrated public transit network that will combine high-capacity transit lines, enhanced bus services, local mobility options and innovative transportation technologies.

As our region grows, our population is also aging, which adds increased demands on public, private and volunteer transportation options. In honor of May being National Older Americans Month, National Mobility Month and National Transportation Week, we’re highlighting timely resources that showcase our ongoing commitment to promote transportation considerations affecting older and disabled adults.

For decades, the United States has been working to move past its dependence on fossil fuels. This article highlights the efforts made on the state level to help promote cleaner transportation and how Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition is furthering these initiatives in our region.

As electric vehicle (EV) ownership becomes more prevalent, access to affordable EV charging will be increasingly important. Through a 2018 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte partnered with the City of Charlotte, Duke Energy and Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition (CCFC), a DOE program housed at Centralina Regional Council, to investigate solutions to this issue. The grant provided funding to develop a prototype technology designed to tap into existing streetlight infrastructure for curbside EV charging, lowering installation costs for curbside EV chargers compared to chargers that require the installation of new electrical infrastructure. EPIC collaborated with Duke Energy to develop a prototype for a pole-mounted EV charger, called PoleVolt, and deployed two pilot chargers in the City of Charlotte.

While transportation choices benefit the entire community, gendered differences emerge when considering issues such as poverty and earnings, how women are employed and caretaker roles for children and aging parents. This Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting why transportation is important to women and how planners can make it more effective and successful by featuring women in the process.

The global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the landscape of daily life, including how we choose to travel. Since early 2020, public behaviors and mindsets around transportation have drastically transformed. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of a reliable and resilient transportation network, and we have also seen the crucial role transportation plays in the supply chain and the distribution of essential goods and services.

Missed our recent Centralina Learns session? We recap highlights, what planners need to know about Transportation Demand Management, and how Centralina is working to expand transportation choices for the region we serve.

The Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition (CCFC) is the designated Clean Cities Coalition for the greater Charlotte region through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This year saw CCFC redouble our efforts through a variety of innovative, collaborative projects. As 2022 draws to a close, let’s look back at the top five successes for clean, equitable transportation across the region over the last year.