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UNC Charlotte Urban Institute Hosts 2nd Annual Regional Issues Conference

Peirce Report, Charlotte Regional Indicators Project on Slate

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Nov. 14, 2007 – The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute will hold its second annual Regional Issues Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the Barnhardt Student Activities Center on the campus of UNC Charlotte. The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This year’s conference will revisit the 1995 Peirce Report on the Charlotte Region. Nationally syndicated columnist Neal Peirce and his colleague, Curtis Johnson, of The Citistates Group, will speak at the conference.

Over the summer of 1995, Peirce, Johnson and their colleagues from the Citistates Group took an in-depth look at the Charlotte region, interviewing politicians, executives, civic leaders and a wide range of citizens about the past and future of the area.

Their report focused on leadership, growth, the work force and communities providing a framework for continuing discussions. The 1995 Peirce Report was published in The Charlotte Observer, The Gaston Gazette, The Herald of Rock Hill, The Concord Tribune, The Enquirer-Journal of Monroe and The Daily Independent of Kannapolis.

The report continues to be referenced today in dialogues on regional planning.

The conference also will provide the first look at the Institute’s Charlotte Regional Indicators Project, an annual assessment of the 14-county region’s progress on a wide range of economic, social and environmental issues.

The Project is modeled on similar benchmarking efforts in other communities such as Boston and Pittsburgh.

Participants also will discuss the changes in the region from the perspective of the Charlotte Region Chapter of the American Leadership Forum. Anne Udall, executive director of The Lee Institute, will moderate a panel of ALF Senior Fellows.

Paul Grogan, president and CEO of The Boston Foundation and Michael Marsicano, president and CEO of Foundation For The Carolinas, also will address the conference. Their topic is community benchmarking and civic engagement.

About UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
A non-partisan, applied research and consulting services outreach unit of UNC Charlotte, the Urban Institute provides services ranging from technical assistance and training, public opinion surveys and land-use and natural resources consulting to economic development research and community planning to meet the needs of the region and its citizens.

About UNC Charlotte
A public research university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest campus among the 17 institutions that comprise the University of North Carolina system and the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region. The university offers 18 doctoral programs, 61 master’s degree programs and 89 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees. Current enrollment exceeds 22,300 students, including some 4,800 graduate students.

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Media contact: Doug Bacon, (704) 687-2679, dbacon@uncc.edu