Monthly Archive for August, 2008

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City’s Black Population Declining

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 23, 2008 in General News. 27 Comments

Charlottesville’s black population is shifting into the county, Stephanie Kassab writes in today’s Daily Progress. UVa’s Weldon Cooper Center‘s Qian Cai has just finished an analysis of census data and population trends, finding that the city’s black population has dropped by 756 in the past seven years; in the same period the county’s black population climbed by a strikingly coincidental 757. Cai is quick to point out that these estimates don’t tell her why this shift is taking place, only that it is happening, but it’s hard to escape the conclusion that this is the inevitable result of Charlottesville becoming an awfully expensive place to live. Mayor Dave Norris points out in that this has been the trend since the destruction of the Vinegar Hill neighborhood in the 1960s. The effect is the opposite of the white flight that has defined urban centers since the 1950s.

No Pit Bull on the Loose

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 22, 2008 in In Brief. 1 Comment

The woman who said she was bit by a pit bull running loose near Meade Park? She lied—she was bitten by her own dog.  #

A Pedestrian Bridge Over the Rivanna?

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 21, 2008 in Development and Transportation. 13 Comments

A local fellow is proposing a pedestrian bridge over the Rivanna, Tracy Clemons reports for NBC-29, for what sounds like a pretty sensible reason. As Pantops continues to develop—a process that will accelerate considerably with Martha Jefferson moving there—it’s becoming a sort of a black hole of pedestrianism. Though the whole area is just across the river from the Woolen Mills, the route to the extended downtown residential area requires following the bypass clear down to Long St. before turning onto High. This is the area in question:


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That’s a two, maybe two and a half mile trip, a considerable obstacle to anybody wanting to commute on foot or by bike. At this point, it’s just an idea: what it would cost or if there’s even any sense to the idea, nobody’s saying. But if the Pantops area is to continue to develop, as it undoubtedly will, it stands to reason that it will need a viable non-vehicular point of access to the rest of town. Is this it?

7:40pm Update: Sean Tubbs provided a way more detailed article about this for Charlottesville Tomorrow two days ago, from whose blog I assume NBC-29 got their story. Daily Progress reporters get used to seeing their stories appear on NBC-29 a few hours later, but taking stories from blogs without attribution is rather a new phenomenon.

Johnston Students Walking to School

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 21, 2008 in Development and Education. 2 Comments

Many Johnson Elementary students can now walk to school, Rachana Dixit writes in today’s Daily Progress, thanks to the Safe Routes to School program. Two new trails were put in recently, resulting in “throngs of people” using the paths to get kids from Johnson Village to the school yesterday. Not only is the exercise great for kids, but reducing the demand on the bus system is always helpful.

08/23: Actually, the city had a neighboring developer pay for this, in collaboration with the city—not Safe Routes to School.

Invasion of the Students

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 21, 2008 in In Brief. Closed

Here’s your annual weekend-before warning: Hide your daughters, lock your doors, stay off the roads…the students are coming.  #