Goal 6
RESILIENT LOW-CARBON URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS
Design buildings, streets, infrastructure and public spaces that adapt to a changing climate, support a low-carbon future, and contribute to ecological restoration.
BIG IDEA: Ensure all new or retrofitted buildings include capacity and infrastructure for electric vehicles and solar energy generation.
Why is This Important?
Center City will continue to grow over the next two decades and beyond. While this means more people living, working and playing in the urban core, it also creates an opportunity to design and build using tools and techniques that are more efficient while benefitting people and the planet.
Charlotte’s culture of innovation and creativity provides an ideal setting to develop and apply new green building and energy methods and to pursue solutions that give back to the environment by generating energy, improving air quality, cooling the city and cleaning our water.
How Can We Achieve This?
STRATEGY 6A: AGGRESSIVELY IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGIC ENERGY ACTION PLAN'S TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY AND BUILDING STRATEGIES TO MAKE CENTER CITY A LOW-CARBON URBAN CENTER BY 2050
The Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) is a how-to guide for the City of Charlotte to become a low-carbon city by 2030 and for City buildings and equipment to be zero-carbon by 2050. Given the scale and size of development and the expected new growth, Center City presents the city’s greatest opportunity to reach these goals.
RECOMMENDATIONS
6a-1 Implement the Strategic Energy Action Plan recommendations for existing and new Center City buildings, prioritizing retrofitting existing buildings and requiring low-carbon construction.
6a-2 Study the feasibility of using wood and cross-laminated timber construction for buildings over seven stories to reduce carbon generation and energy use in construction methods.
6a-3 Establish green building requirements for Center City development and strengthen workforce training programs in sustainable design and construction.
6a-4 Ensure all new or retrofitted buildings include capacity and infrastructure for electric vehicles and solar energy generation.
6a-5 Encourage all Center City buildings to publicly benchmark their energy use.
STRATEGY 6B: PILOT A RESILIENT INNOVATION DISTRICT TO TEST ENERGY AND RESILIENCY INNOVATIONS
A Resilient Innovation District (RID) is a neighborhood or district in which new strategies for urban resiliency can be tested and where ideas and resources can be shared to advance sustainable solutions. The Strategic Energy Action Plan identifies tools, rules and recommendations for RIDs and one or more Center City neighborhoods such as West End and North End to pilot this model.
RECOMMENDATIONS
6b-1 Identify a site within Center City and implement an RID to pilot and advance resilience innovation policies and projects, including those in the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan and UDO.
6b-2 Partner with community-based organizations, schools and colleges, and local businesses to identify areas with limited employment opportunities and workforce development programs and structure RID projects and programs that provide training, employment and investment opportunities for local residents.
6b-3 Leverage public, private and nonprofit resources to allocate substantial funding to design, build and maintain sustainable, low-carbon, resilient, and equitable RID projects.
6b-4 Incorporate circular economy strategies and projects to eliminate waste and re-use or reinvest energy, goods and resources in RID and local community projects.
STRATEGY 6C: ENSURE UTILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE, RESILIENT, LOW-CARBON, AND EQUITABLE GROWTH
The systems that support roads and buildings and provide water, electricity and internet access have not kept up with the rapid pace of Center City growth. As the urban core gets increasingly dense, it is critical to ensure not just that these systems are in place to serve more people, but that they are designed to be more efficient and environmentally sustainable.
RECOMMENDATIONS
6c-1 Develop a Climate and Disaster Resilience Plan for Center City neighborhoods with quantitative goals and performance metrics.
6c-2 Develop a Center City Infrastructure Plan that:
› Comprehensively assesses existing and planned infrastructure and utilities, including water, sewer and stormwater systems and wi-fi/internet access
› Identifies infrastructure investments and improvements that will accommodate several decades of growth
› Accounts for climate change and extreme weather events
› Uses an equity lens and prioritizes improvements in underserved neighborhoods
› Applies the recommendations of the City’s Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP)
› Maximizes the use of low-carbon infrastructure solutions
6c-3 Require that utility and infrastructure improvements, including water, stormwater and sewer systems, are made in advance of or at the same time as development, to keep up with growth and higher density in Center City.
6c-4 Require all new and existing utility lines be built or relocated underground to:
› Minimize power outages from severe weather and storms
› Eliminate the visual clutter from wires and poles and
› Improve neighborhood aesthetics.
6c-5 Require local resident training and employment opportunities as a component of the utility line underground relocation infrastructure effort.
STRATEGY 6D: UTILIZE LAND AND BUILDINGS THROUGHOUT CENTER CITY TO PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
Dense urban centers and new growth create the opportunity implement “green” solutions that benefit people and the planet. This includes using land and natural resources as well as building design and performance to improve the environment.
RECOMMENDATIONS
6d-1 Develop a menu of Low-Impact Development (LID) strategies and other sustainable practices that can be applied throughout Center City to provide ecological benefits including:
› Improved air quality through carbon sequestration
› Improved water quality from natural stormwater treatment
› Reduced energy use and increased comfort from passive heating and cooling
› Biological diversity through animal habitat protection and restoration.
6d-2 Analyze Center City to identify land, properties and public spaces that can be used for providing ecological benefits, such as planting trees, generating solar energy and filtering stormwater to improve water and air quality. Types of land include:
› Vacant and underutilized parcels
› Land that cannot be developed due to certain site constraints
› Portions of existing public parks and public spaces
› Other “remnant” lands such as spaces along highway on-ramps
› Rooftops
