Affordable housing is a major issue in American cities today. What is Charlotte doing to address the shortage? How is the university assisting in those efforts? Are there ways for students, faculty and staff to get involved?
That’s the focus of an event on Wednesday, Oct. 22: Affordable Housing: Perspectives from Charlotte and the University. The event is free and open to everyone on campus.
Community historian Dr. Tom Hanchett will kick off the program with insights from his new book, Affordable Housing in Charlotte: What One City’s History Tells Us About America’s Pressing Problem (UNC Press, 2025). What does “affordable” mean? Who qualifies? How has funding changed over time? Are there local success stories? Why is there a shortage?
Charlotte has lost more than 10,000 low-cost apartments over the past 10 years as real estate prices spiral upward in this fast-growing city, displacing renters. The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute plays a crucial role in helping local governments understand these pressing housing issues. Executive Director Dr. Lori Thomas and Senior Research Associate Angelique Gaines will talk about current research projects — and share ways students and faculty can join the work.
There are also opportunities for off-campus action. Laura Belcher, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region, will talk about the organization's homebuilding work. Former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter got the ball rolling here in the 1980s, and university volunteers regularly “swing a hammer” to help low-income families become homeowners.
Affordable Housing: Perspectives from Charlotte and the University is sponsored by the Charlotte Urban Institute, UrbanCORE, and the J. Murrey Atkins Library, along with the 49er Urban Planners (49er UP) Club in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences.
Affordable Housing: Perspectives from Charlotte and the University
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025
4 p.m.
Popp Martin Student Union, Room 340 A–F
Light refreshments will be served.