Asheville, North Carolina is increasingly lauded for its mountain views, restaurants, craft beer, and art scene.  It seems like Asheville is always on a “best” list – most recently, it was touted as the number one best place to visit in the US in 2017 by Lonely Planet. But just what factors explain … Read more

Asheville, North Carolina – “New Age Mecca,” “San Francisco of the East,” “Land of the Sky,” “New Freak Capital,” and “America’s Happiest City.” These are just some of the nicknames that Asheville enjoys, due to its more recent prominence in the social, economic, and political domains of North Carol … Read more

We have all heard the story: A new shopping center opens. Downtown businesses leave. People follow in pursuit. Downtown dies. Today, many of these once extinct downtowns are thriving. Communities are investing in their downtowns because they know a vibrant downtown is key to attracting new businesse … Read more

Aaron Nousaine is a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning. He is currently working with the Land-of-Sky Regional Council in Asheville through the Carolina Economic Revitalization Corps (CERC). In an previous post I described the new trajectory bein … Read more