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Charlotte..What are we doing right...what are we doing wrong?


Skyybutter

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Hey,

I'm from NYC and I'm really starting to resent all this Northerner's don't know how to take care of yards stuff.

BTW What's a yard? dontknow.gif

I wonder what percentage of these so called "litterbug northers" come from the actual cities anyways?

I live in Bucks County, PA and let me tell you, its hard as heck keeping up with the Joneses (everyones grass is amazingly green!)

There are anecdotes on both sides of any argument.

In term's of street cleanliness, it better get cleaned out before Summer of 2012. The world will be watching.

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I am not suggesting that people from NYC, NJ and Philly are the only litter bugs. I am suggesting that people from these areas are use to being in dirtier cities. Having said that, I am also not suggesting that these cities are worse or better for it. I myself miss some of the grit in Philly, not so much the piles of trash littering the city. http://www.rd.com/tr...ies-in-america/

according to one study...out of fifty cities

49th dirtiest city- NYC

48th dirtiest city-Pittsburgh

44th dirtiest city-Philadelphia

43rd dirtiest city-Boston

This issue really doesn't have much to do with what part of the U.S. one is from. It mostly has to do with diversity. The more diverse, the more chance there are of cultures existing where emphasis isn't on neatness, cleanliness, and civic pride. I was recently in Londonderry, N.Ireland and was appaled at seeing people leaving restaruants, ie. McDonalds and throwing the rappers and trash on the sidewalks. The creeks were full of trash. It was discusting. I have neighbors across the street (I won't say where they are from but it is the world's largest democracy) that see nothing wrong with throwing trash on the street on the alley or in their yards. If confronted, they will just throw it on the other side of the house. Fourty years ago, it was just certain neighborhoods that were trashy. Now any area can be trashy depending on the demographic, diversity, etc.

This has been my experience and being insulting is not part of my intent. Anyone from anywhere can be a slob. However, it would be nice to see a substantial number of outsiders take more pride in their yards when they move here and keep their dogs from crapping on sidewalks.

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^There is a very interesting documentary about this on Sundance Channel as part of the series Cities on Speed: Cairo Garbage.

Basically, Egypt didn't have a government garbage collection system in place until very recently. They had a lower-class of society (in this case it was Christians), that made their living by collecting peoples garbage from outside their doors and windows (there was no such thing as a dumpster or trash can) and hauling back to "Gargage Districs/Villages" which is where they lived. They would then sort the trash and recover money from raw materials. As Cairo grew into a modern state, they tried to implement orderly garbage service, but residents would refuse to use trash cans and dumpsters. And this documentary follows the sanitary chief as they do education and outreach to pretty much beg people to use trash cans. :offtopic:

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Charlotte is just now coming onto the national radar. Many people in other regions of the country can't tell you which Carolina Charlotte is in. Its still decades away from being an international city. Charlotte today is like Atlanta was 30 years ago, and Atlanta had a booming economy assist it in getting to where its at today. Taking into account the current recession/depression, predicting it will last 10-15 years, I say it will be at least 40-50 years before we will see a Charlotte that is entering that "global city" status.

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Charlotte is just now coming onto the national radar. Many people in other regions of the country can't tell you which Carolina Charlotte is in. Its still decades away from being an international city. Charlotte today is like Atlanta was 30 years ago, and Atlanta had a booming economy assist it in getting to where its at today. Taking into account the current recession/depression, predicting it will last 10-15 years, I say it will be at least 40-50 years before we will see a Charlotte that is entering that "global city" status.
When I am overseas, I make it a point to ask foreigners if they have heard of Charlotte. Most have. As a matter of fact, many of my Austrailian friends are hooked on NASCAR and others in South Africa and Europe do banking business with a Charlotte bank. Many actually go to Charlotte on business trips. Your perception other's perceptions on a worldwide basisof the city is incorrect. It may not be a super large city, but it is more know thatn many that are larger. For example, I have found that there are many overseas citizens that have heard of Pittsburg, Cincinatti, Cleveland, and others but can't tell you anything about them. On the other hand, most can associate Charlotte with banking, travel, NASCAR, and general business experiences. I agree that many Americans don't know which Carolina includes Charlotte. But, that is because Americans are illiterate when it comes to history and geography. Most can't show you where NYC or Chicago is on a unlabeled map.
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We are wrong by not jumping on light/heavy rail transportation. I am a fiscal conservative,but nevertheless realize that for a growing city has accomodate projected decades of growth . With toll fees, government assistance (hopefully), a small 5cents per gallon gas tax, and a minimal sales tax raise of one percent, we will likely be able to pull it off. I isn]t just something that will be nice to have, but it is something that we will need. Charlotte is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S, and will likely be for the next few decades. We must be prepared before there is no land to accomplish this need.

Most cities built their rail services when they were less populated than Mecklenburg County, ie. Boston. It is time. We may not achieve desired ridership at first, but we have to look to the future.

I know that there is a concern with criminals going out to the far reaching areas and that is a genuine concern. But, the stations in such places as Huntersville and Cornelius are not in locals that are appealing to undesirables.

We need to tighten our belts in many areas and divert the monies to light/heavy rail. Besides, a rail line for the "red" line to the north is already in place. That shouldn't even be an issue.

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