Charlotte Urban Design Center

Directions Website Contact the organization

Charlotte Urban Design Center Charlotte Urban Design Center advances the quality of the built environment, creates public awarenes

✨ What could a more inclusive Charlotte look like?Join AIA Charlotte and Q***r Design Collaborative for a collaborative ...
10/07/2026

✨ What could a more inclusive Charlotte look like?

Join AIA Charlotte and Q***r Design Collaborative for a collaborative design charrette exploring how creative spaces can bring people together and foster belonging for LGBTQIA+ community members and anyone seeking community.

✍️ Bring your ideas, your sketching materials, and your imagination. Together, we’ll envision more welcoming spaces across the city.

More information on the charette and site options available via the Eventbrite

Our collective ideas will come together in a public exhibition in mid-November.

Let’s imagine what’s possible. 🌈

Discover how Complete Streets and placemaking turn everyday corridors into vibrant, safe, and connected community spaces...
10/03/2026

Discover how Complete Streets and placemaking turn everyday corridors into vibrant, safe, and connected community spaces. There are many elements and combinations to make a complete street, giving cities around the world endless opportunities to create streets that work better for people and transportation. From Tryon Street to Five Points Plaza, Charlotte is actively redefining its public realm. Read the full article and get inspired to reimagine your journey through the city!
🚶🚴🚍🚘 https://people-make-cities.com/2026/10/02/complete-streets-and-placemaking/

Want to see more public spaces for people to gather in and enjoy? Come celebrate with us as we take over parking spaces ...
09/15/2026

Want to see more public spaces for people to gather in and enjoy? Come celebrate with us as we take over parking spaces and activate them for the global event, Park(ing) Day!

Join us in the fun on Friday, September 18 across the street from the Latta Arcade in Uptown. See what transforming curbside parking spaces does for our community and how we can continue to reimagine our spaces!

Park(ing) Day is an annual event where people across the world temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces and convert them into public parks and social
spaces. The project advocates for safer, greener, and more equitable streets for people.

This event is free and drop-in style from 9am-3pm, so stop by in-between meetings, during your lunch break, or send some emails from the comfort of our parklet!

The Charlotte Urban Design Center is proud to bring this event to you along side with NCASLA and Charlotte Center City Partners.

📍 300 S Tryon St
⏰ 9 AM - 3 PM
🎉 Gather in celebration of reclaiming public space for people!

👋 See you there!

⚠ Time is running out to nominate! Tell us your favorite spots to attend events, hang out with friends, or play with you...
09/08/2026

⚠ Time is running out to nominate! Tell us your favorite spots to attend events, hang out with friends, or play with your kids. Urban design is only good if people use it, so help us celebrate the places built for the Charlotte community!

⌛The form closes Friday night, so send us your vote today! https://cltgov.me/urbies

☀ Where do you eat lunch when the weather is nice? Chances are you enjoy your meal in a public space. What made you choo...
09/03/2026

☀ Where do you eat lunch when the weather is nice? Chances are you enjoy your meal in a public space. What made you choose that spot? Shade, landscaping, furniture, and walkability all influence where you want to be on a nice day. That is good urban design, and the Urban Design Center wants to celebrate it!

Nominate your favorite spots in Charlotte for the People's Choice Award today! https://cltgov.me/urbies

Charlotte artists, we’ve got an exciting opportunity for you! The City of Charlotte’s Urban Design Center is calling for...
08/29/2026

Charlotte artists, we’ve got an exciting opportunity for you! The City of Charlotte’s Urban Design Center is calling for local artists, designers, and creative teams to help design new neighborhood signage for the historic Greenville neighborhood along the Urban Arboretum Trail.

Deliverables:
• Design artwork for custom street sign toppers
• Create a post-and-panel neighborhood identification sign

Selected artists receive a design commission and will collaborate with community members, neighborhood leaders, and City staff to bring the final designs to life.

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, September 16th at 11:59 PM.
Link to apply: https://publicinput.com/artists_needed_greenville

If you’re passionate about community storytelling, neighborhood identity, and place-based design, this is your chance to make a mark on Charlotte’s public realm.
Let’s see what Charlotte can create! 🎨✨

🐶 To celebrate National Dog Day, we’re spotlighting the real bosses of the UDC. They keep us supervised, supported, and ...
08/27/2026

🐶 To celebrate National Dog Day, we’re spotlighting the real bosses of the UDC. They keep us supervised, supported, and inspired to get outside and enjoy our beautiful city!

Think about the public spaces you and your four-legged companion love, and nominate them for an Urban Design Award! Nominations are open through September 11.

Use this weekend to explore Charlotte’s best spots, then head to our bio for the nomination form and all the details about the “Urbies.” Let’s honor the places that make our city tail-wagging great! 🐾

🏆The People’s Choice Award is now open for nominations!As part of the 6th Annual Urban Design Awards—aka The Urbies—we’r...
08/26/2026

🏆The People’s Choice Award is now open for nominations!

As part of the 6th Annual Urban Design Awards—aka The Urbies—we’re inviting you to recognize a public space in Charlotte that brings people together and makes our city better.

Know a spot that deserves the spotlight? Nominate it today and help us celebrate the designs shaping Charlotte’s future. Big or small, good public space deserves recognition!

📅Nominations are open through September 11.
🔗Find the form in our blog using the link below:
https://people-make-cities.com/2026/08/25/urbies-2026/

A Targeted Investment in the Safety and Functionality of Tryon StreetUDC Project HighlightWe recently teamed up with par...
08/26/2026

A Targeted Investment in the Safety and Functionality of Tryon Street

UDC Project Highlight

We recently teamed up with partner departments in the City of Charlotte to refresh Tryon Street’s beloved streetscape - making it safer, more functional, and a whole lot more comfortable for everyone. We didn’t just swap old benches for new ones; we looked closely at how our community uses the street today to guide our urban design approach:

More Bike Parking: We noticed the existing racks were always full, so we added more!
More Places to Pause: Seeing folks eating lunch on the go proved we needed more casual spots to sit and relax.
Modern Access: We removed outdated payphones, legacy street-side shelters, and old media stands to make room for today’s curbside needs

This project was possible through significant interdepartmental coordination, with our team at the Urban Design Center handling the design and placement of new amenities and overall project management, Economic Development leading stakeholder engagement and coordination, General Services managing construction and project management support, and CDOT Street Maintenance taking care of removal and paver repair.

Most importantly, we worked directly with the city teams and property managers who maintain Tryon Street every single day. Their perspective was instrumental in making this project a success.

Next time you are Uptown, take a stroll, grab a seat, and let us know how you are enjoying the new space!

Project Name: Tryon Street Refresh | Client: City of Charlotte | Partner Departments: CDOT, Corporate Communications, General Services | Furnishings: Landscape Forms, mmcite, Victor Stanley

Music Off the Rails was a blast! Even with the rain, the energy never dipped. We moved inside our spacious studio and ke...
08/01/2026

Music Off the Rails was a blast! Even with the rain, the energy never dipped. We moved inside our spacious studio and kept the music going with Piedmont Porch, the acoustic version of Carolina Vibe Merchants, and Annie Haden. Potions & Pixels brought their Artcade units funded by the 2025 Placemaking Grant. Attendees enjoyed drinks from our South End partners and explored our Placemaking Showcase gallery featuring projects completed over the past year. Past and current grantees connected, shared stories, and offered advice. With more than 70 guests, the night was full of great music and meaningful conversations set to the sound of steady rain outside.
🎶🎸🌧

Address

1507 Camden Road
Charlotte, NC
28203

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Charlotte Urban Design Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Charlotte Urban Design Center:

Shortcuts

Share