Laying in the heart of the Elizabeth neighborhood, the American Legion Memorial Stadium has a long history serving the residents of Charlotte. The original stadium was built in 1936, hosting events ranging from top high school football matchups to presidential addresses. In 2019, Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation and Jenkins Peer Architects began a massive renovation to better accommodate soccer, lacrosse, football, and other community events such as festivals and concerts. This multipurpose sports and entertainment venue continues to bring life to the neighborhood while preserves its rich history by creating opportunities for residents to create new memories.

Across the street from the Levine Center for the Arts campus, The Green acts as an extension of the cultural hub, acting as an outdoor event and gallery space. Throughout the week, the park is a small oasis for workers and convention attendees. The design team’s innovative decision to utilize the underground parking deck as an opportunity to build a park provides pedestrians and drivers a chance to engage with the city and activates the adjacent retail.

• Five Points Plaza construction and programming
• The West Complex
• Murals
• The Ritz at Washington Heights construction and programming
• Allegra Westbrooks Library placemaking project

Running through the Myers Park neighborhood, Selwyn Avenue brings variety in building use and housing typologies along a walkable streetscape with pleasant tree canopy. The corridor helps define the community character of Myers Park, displaying commercial, retail, and residential uses while being mindful of building heights and relation to the street.

The Bowl at Ballantyne stands out as a celebrated example of pedestrian-oriented development in an otherwise car-centric environment. This transformative project reimagined a former golf course into a dynamic, large-scale mixed-use community featuring open spaces, walkable streets, and thoughtfully integrated development. The vibrant, programmed open spaces and pedestrian-friendly design create an inviting atmosphere, offering visitors a uniquely enjoyable and engaging experience.

The Vantage is an example of architecture and urban design coming together to create seamless connection between people and the city. The 635,000 SF mixed-use development in the Southend neighborhood blurs the line between public and privately owned space, making all feel welcome. The massing of the building and its presence transformed the neighborhood. The active ground floor uses brings life to both the courtyard and the street. Even from inside the building, users feel connected to the surrounding city thanks to the abundant windows and views of Uptown.

In the Spring of 2024, UNCC David R. Ravin School of Architecture students developed a vision plan for the redevelopment of Charlotte’s  North Lake Mall, designing a pedestrian-focused, community-centered, BRT-connected neighborhood. Employing a sustainable perspective, students worked to retain and reimagine the mall’s big box stores into uses of a similar scale – a house of worship, school, community and recreation center, and a grocery store. These adaptive reuse buildings were then stitched seamlessly into a new mixed-use neighborhood designed by the class.

Ely Portillo is an influential journalist with a knack for communicating urban design and city business to the public in an approachable way. His influence reaches people through multiple platforms – digital, print, radio, and television. On a personal level, Portillo is inviting and welcoming towards newcomers in a city renown for its ever-growing community of transplants.

Founded by artist Osiris Rain in 2024, TAOH (The Awakening of Humanity) Outdoor Gallery is Charlotte’s first dedicated graffiti park with 20 canvases of art. Created in collaboration with the Piece for Peace Movement, Proffitt Dixon Partners, Art Walks CLT, and fellow members of Charlotte’s creative community, the TAOH Outdoor Gallery’s unique space offers artists of all disciplines—whether spray painting, sculpting, creating installations, or working with chalk—a dedicated place to hone and showcase their craft. The outdoor gallery is located on a previously vacant lot across from the LYNX Blue Line 25th Street Station on Brevard Street. The purpose behind this initiative was to bring life and color into the Charlotte landscape, serving as a “vibrant tapestry reflecting the city’s rich diversity and boundless creativity.”  Participation from the general public is welcomed and fostered through community-driven events, workshops, and collaborative projects.