The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County recently released the updated Charlotte-Mecklenburg Quality of Life Explorer, an interactive online tool that can be used to explore social, housing, economic, environmental and safety conditions in neighborhoods across Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
The Quality of Life Explorer – which was created in partnership with UNC Charlotte and the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville – includes updated data and a redesigned dashboard, providing seamless access to information and resources. With more than 80 variables, users can view information about housing stock, household income, jobs, education, health, bicycle friendliness, tree canopy coverage, crime rates, community engagement and more. Ultimately, the tool can be used by residents, businesses, service providers, government agencies, realtors, universities and more to learn more about local neighborhoods, develop programs and services and plan for the future.
“At the City of Charlotte, we’ve used the Quality of Life Explorer to help understand the dynamics of local neighborhoods and determine service delivery strategies,” said Charlotte Mayor Dan Clodfelter. “Charlotte is a city of wonderful, diverse neighborhoods. It is our hope that residents will use the tool to explore their neighborhood assets, identify priorities and connect to resources.”
The Quality of Life Explorer displays maps, trend charts and data tables and provides summary reports for more than 460 neighborhood profile areas across the county. There are also links that provide more information about each variable, as well as resources to take action on the issues that are important to users. While a complete update is typically released every two years, periodic updates, as well as links to neighborhood stories and data analysis, will be released over the coming year.
“The Quality of Life Explorer is a collaborative effort devoted to providing neighborhoods with relevant information and guiding community members to the resources necessary to ensure long-term success,” said Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio. “The Quality of Life Explorer gives everyone – policymakers, government staff, neighborhood and business leaders, and other engaged residents – a common foundation to identify, understand and take action on issues that impact us now and in the future.”