Land Planning & Smart Growth
Many of our water quality problems are the result of poor development practices which is made possible by outdated zoning regulations and building codes. The solution to many water quality problems is better planning and smarter growth. This section discusses how to protect water quality while continuing to grow and to have a healthy economy.
- Information on Stream and Lake Buffers
- Buffer zones around streams, rivers, lakes and other water bodies helps protect water quality.
- Getting to Smart Growth by EPA
- EPA document on smart growth.
- 2008 Citistates Report - The Dangers of Not Going Green
- This report, sponsored by the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, is a followup to a 1995 report on the region. The report concludes that the Catawba could dry-up, farmland could become scarce, and air quality could worsen if the region continues on its current course. The report also concludes that the region must do more to protect its strained natural resources to become a global player.
- 1995 Citistates Report
- Report commissioned by the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute on the issues facing the Charlotte region.
- 2007 UNC Charlotte Urban Institute Regional Indicators Project Report
- Report summarizing various regional indicators including of growth, land development and environmental health.
- Report of the Effects of Land Use on Water Quality
- 2001 report of the effects of land use in Mecklenburg County between 1994 and 1998 on water quality (primarily the Catawba basin).
- Land Development in North Carolina: Losing Our Natural Heritage
- 2007 report on the impact of land development practices in North Carolina on the environment.
- Low Impact Development Handbook
- Handbook of techniques and best management practices for low impact development.
- What is Smart Growth?
- "Nearly half of what will be the built environment in 2030 doesn't even exist today, giving the current generation a vital opportunity to shape future development." By changing the way we design and build communities, we can substantially reduce the impact of our communities on the water.
- Watch Cabarrus sprawl! And Catawba too!
- Mary Newsom on growth in the Charlotte region
- Sprawl on high: Losing N.C. mountain wilderness
- Mary Newsom on sprawl in the N.C. Mountains (including the headwaters of the Catawba River).
