As an urban designer and planner, I’m always excited to return to my home city of Charlotte to witness the “next big project.” I recognize that a city is always changing and evolving – it’s a living organism – but the urban core of Charlotte has transformed drastically, possibly faster than any other major city. Perhaps it’s because I long to return to my beloved Queen City and I’ve gotten a bit nostalgic, but there is a noticeable and excitable shift in the urban core of Charlotte. It has become a true place, or shall I say, series of places, that makes a unique and livable city. Development ..read more

It’s that time of year: the World Series just wrapped up, NFL and college football are in full swing, and the NBA and college basketball are kicking off. If you’re a sports fan you’re in ESPN heaven. As I was watching my Cardinals fight for glory and my Panthers pound towards the playoffs this past week, I began to think of the importance of sports and food to our cities. I only spent 4 years in St. Louis. I can make a long list of why I appreciate the city, but only a few of those really pull at my heart-strings and make me LOVE the city. At the top of that list right above the St. Louis Card ..read more

Around 2006 most of us were doing the same thing…no, not Borat impressions and wearing skinny jeans…we were getting LEED accredited. The US Green Building Council (USGBC) introduced the LEED rating system in 2000 and with the boom of construction came a boom in the popularity of energy-efficient buildings. Professionals, young and old, in every architecture firm were required to pass the exam – it was expected. In 2008 the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) was established and shortly following were LEED AP specialities that include Building Design + Construction, Operations + Maint ..read more

This past Thursday the Tampa Downtown Partnership hosted their 27th Annual Meeting and Luncheon for board members, officers, members, and the general public. This year, the Partnership introduced a twist to the usual program: a panel of mid-career men and women to discuss what Tampa needs to and should become in the next decade. The “Fast Forward” panel that included myself of Tindale-Oliver & Associates, Brandon Hicks of Twelfth Street Studio, Brian Seel of The Beck Group, and Ann-Eliza Taylor of the Yates Law Firm was moderated by Shaun Drinkard, the Director of Placemaking wit ..read more

Unfortunately I was not able to attend the national CNU conference this year in Salt Lake City, but I followed the media coming from it closely. Of course the conference appeared to provide interesting material as always with conference tracks based on livability, transportation and infrastructure, sustainability, and finance. Nature and Urbanism (the title of the opening plenary), as well as, agrarian urbanism were important topics. The CNU National Conference is designed for the host city to imprint upon its structure, and therefore the Mormon influence was a recurring theme throughout ..read more

One of the most wonderful things about urban design is that every one of us understands the city, because we live, work and play there. On some level everyone can articulate their feelings about why they love their neighborhood and community, and how it should be transformed or changed for the better. I want this blog to be a platform not just for urban designers and planners, but for everyone to learn about the issues that face our cities today. I have asked my father, Joseph McGirt, who is a  teacher, lawyer, businessman, blogger and long-time Charlottean to reflect on his experience wi ..read more