Thinking Outside of the Box

If you've ever walked along the streets of Uptown Charlotte, then you've surely noticed all of the newsracks that line the streets. And it's only increased in recent years. You'll find boxes and racks for everything from The Charlotte Observer, USA Today, Creative Loafing, The Charlotte Post, and Skirt! to publications for real estate, auto sales, fitness, and more. After the city conducted a study that basically showed that the number of newsracks was getting out of control, it passed an amendment to its streets and sidewalks ordinance last year to regulate them.

As a result, this week the city is installing newsracks that will replace the ones individual publications once maintained. Instead of separate boxes in all shapes, sizes, and colors, each designated location will house a large unit that has spaces for multiple publications. There will be 21 of these units throughout Uptown with a total of 320 spaces for publications. Think of it sort of like cubbyholes. A few of the boxes on each unit will be locked with coin entry for the paid pubs, but the majority will be open access since most of the pubs around town are free.

If I had to guess, I would say that there are about 15 or so different publications, and most of them have, in the past, had more than a dozen locations around Uptown. This new system was created, the ordinance states, to maintain public safety along sidewalks and, basically, to make the setups look neater. Personally, I never had a problem with how the newsracks were before, but I do see how their previous arrangement took up a lot of space. I don't think this new system will hurt the distribution of any of the publications, and I actually write for a couple of them that are out there.

For more details, click here.