a JLC feature
Adjusting the Jewels in the Crown of the Queen City: The Future of Charlotte and the JLC’s Role By: Shellisa Multrie One part of the Junior League of Charlotte, Inc’s (JLC) tripart mission is to improve the community. Because of this, the League and its members naturally have their eyes on the future of this city. To make sure the League has the pulse of the city in mind, League leaders have created a relationship with Charlotte’s Assistant City Manager and city planner, Taiwo Jaiyeoba. Jaiyeoba moved to Charlotte in 2015 and was hired as planning director for the city of Charlotte in January 2018. He has been working on the city’s first comprehensive plan in decades, including some important updates to land use regulations. When Jaieyoba talks about Charlotte, there is a clear hope for the future and pride in work that is coming from his office.
Where it all began “I grew up knowing that I wanted to do something with people,” recalls Jaeyeoba. And while he thought that might mean the police force or being a pilot, he studied geography initially because his uncle was an expert in the field.
The Evolution of the Crescent and the Wedge Jaieyoba began to notice some of the ways that Charlotte could use some help before he started working for the city. He noted the differences between Providence and Beatties Ford Roads as he drove the streets when traveling around Charlotte. He noted that there seemed to be a clear gap that needed to be bridged. Many talked about the “crescent and the wedge” that existed in the city referring to voting patterns. Over time, it expanded to describe income, school performance, race and food deserts, and now, during the pandemic, even the COVID-19 infection rate can be illustrated this way. Many have described the coveted area of south Charlotte as a wedge or pie slice shape that expands from Uptown. This is typically the area where the rich, affluent and mostly white communities are located. In this area are more parks, job access, grocery stores and high performance schools. The rest of Charlotte, which creates sort of an arc shape around the wedge, is more racially mixed, significantly poorer and does not have THE “ARC” AND THE “WEDGE” some between of the same that the wedge. Charlotteare Douglasnoted Internationalin Airport is included within the It’s arc Comparisons the arc and wedgeconveniences geographies are shown geography, however, because here are no residential units in that below, and depicted for the data sets that follow. Average data for NPA, it isat excluded from averages for data sets such as housing, voter the arc and wedge can mask significant differences among NPAs a look quite striking when you take the visual depictions. participation, and household proximity to grocery. within each of these larger geographies, as noted for several of the data sets.
“My first day of class, the instructor asked, ‘What is the city for? The people.’ That statement let me know that this was the right place for me.” During his studies, he interned with a town planner in Nigeria and benefited from a host of other opportunities over the last 26 years in Botswana, Sacramento, California, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia and now here in Charlotte.
“I came to Charlotte in 1999. I don’t remember a lot about it but, when I came back in 2011, I couldn’t believe how neat and organized uptown was. When the company where I worked moved me here in 2015, I was so happy because I knew the city was still growing. I could have moved anywhere, but I chose Charlotte because there was so much diversity. I was also taken by the city skyline.”
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Graphic Source: Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan BUILT CITY EQUITY ATLAS
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