Will Linville is an urban designer, planner, and the Program Manager for the City of Charlotte's Urban Design Center. Throughout the past two decades, Will has worked in communities across North Carolina, helping shape places that are more livable, equitable, and people centered. He holds a Master of Urban Design and a Bachelor of Science in Geography from UNC Charlotte, grounding his work in both big-picture planning and spatial thinking. At his core, Will is motivated by streets designed for people, thoughtful urban form, and the preservation of the best parts of our historic built environment.

We sat down to discuss his path into planning and urban design, what excites him about shaping cities at the street and neighborhood scale, and how working alongside communities influences the way he approaches place-making. We also touched on what living and working in a growing city like Charlotte has revealed about the opportunities and responsibilities of shaping the built environment today...

Branden Piks:

"From a public engagement side of things, I know a lot of information is technically accessible to the general public, but that doesn’t always mean it’s digestible for people. One of the things I really appreciate about the Urban Design Center is how intentional it’s been about creating open forums like the Coffee & Conversations, movie screenings, public presentations, workshops, and charrettes that anyone in the community can attend.

Have you started to see more momentum there as Charlotte continues to grow? Are more people outside of planning, design, and development showing up simply because they want to understand what’s happening in their city?..."

Will Linville:

"...For the Urban Design Centers, engaging with residents by providing opportunities to learn through events like Coffee & Conversations are incredibly important to me and help build excitement around future planning and design projects. What’s been encouraging is the diversity of people who show up. It’s not just planners or designers—sometimes it’s someone who spent their career as a railroad engineer, a resident who’s simply curious about how cities function, or an elementary school student that wants to grow up to be a landscape architect. That diversity of turnout reinforces something I genuinely believe,

​Read the Full Conversation Here​

2025 State of Housing in Charlotte Report

"This is the seventh annual State of Housing in Charlotte Report issued by the Childress Klein Center for Real Estate at UNC Charlotte. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive, data‑driven overview of the state of housing in Charlotte and the surrounding area. This report provides a complete overview of what happened in the region from January 2023 to September 2025, with broader trends examined over the past two decades (2001–2025). We summarize the main findings as follows..."

​Read Full Report​

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How does this impact our region?

The 2025 State of Housing in Charlotte report offers a helpful, data‑driven overview of where our region stands today and where some of the pressures and opportunities may be emerging. On paper, it’s encouraging to see that housing production has begun to keep pace with household growth, with the Charlotte region adding more housing units than new households in 2024 according to analysis from UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business. At the same time, the report makes clear that much of this new supply is concentrated above median price points, leaving fewer options for households seeking attainable or entry‑level ownership.

From my perspective, as an architect practicing in Charlotte, this isn’t a critique of the market so much as an observation of how complex housing delivery has become. Land costs, financing structures, construction pricing, and entitlement processes all influence what ultimately gets built. In a strong market, it’s understandable that many projects gravitate toward higher price points where risk can be more easily absorbed.

The report also highlights how recent multifamily deliveries have helped stabilize rents, an important short‑term outcome after several years of rapid increases. Market data shows that elevated apartment deliveries through 2024 and 2025 have increased vacancy and tempered rent growth across the Charlotte metro, offering renters some relief.

At the same time, the report reminds us that future construction pipelines may tighten again in the next few years, which could quickly reverse these gains. Combined with continued population growth, this suggests that housing affordability will remain an ongoing conversation rather than a problem with a single solution.

For me, this moment presents an opportunity to listen, learn, and engage. I’m interested in better understanding how designers can support those already working to address workforce and missing‑middle housing—whether through more efficient building typologies, thoughtful site planning, or early collaboration with developers and public partners. Rather than assuming there’s one right approach, I see value in contributing design expertise to a broader, multi‑disciplinary effort focused on expanding housing options across income levels in Charlotte.

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Summary Thoughts...

• Align design with real housing needs. The data reinforces the importance of housing types that sit between subsidized affordable housing and high‑end market products - an area where thoughtful design can help improve feasibility and livability.
• Support efficient, scalable housing typologies. Duplexes, townhomes, cottage courts, and small multifamily buildings can play a meaningful role when paired with cost‑conscious planning and construction strategies.
• Engage early with development and policy partners. Housing outcomes are shaped long before construction documents begin; early collaboration can help align design, financing, and entitlement realities.
• Balance quality with feasibility. Attainable housing still deserves durable materials, good daylight, and strong connections to the public realm. Design decisions matter at every price point.
• View housing as long‑term infrastructure. Homes shape neighborhoods, equity, and opportunity for decades, existing beyond just units delivered in a single cycle.

JSa_the ice factory_mexico city

​JSa transforms Mexican factory for its own architecture studio​

Construction continues to move forward on our mixed-use commercial project in Tega Cay, SC, with the building now transitioning from structure to enclosure. What began with steel framing and core/shell work has progressed into the next critical phase, where the architecture is starting to fully take shape.

Exterior materials are now underway, with brick installation in progress and preparation for stucco following close behind. Storefront systems are being installed, setting the stage for the building to be dried in and protected as interior work accelerates. Site improvements have also taken shape, with parking and drive areas complete with their curb and gutter pours helping define the project’s site relationship to the building.

As these exterior elements come together, the proportions and rhythm established early in design are becoming increasingly legible. Seeing the material palette applied at scale reinforces the intent behind the building — a well-balanced, durable structure that brings professional and retail energy to the corridor while remaining contextual to Tega Cay’s continued growth.

This phase of construction is always especially rewarding, as the project shifts from framework to finished form. It’s exciting to watch the building become part of the streetscape and to see the vision move closer to activation. The progress to date reflects a strong collaborative effort and keeps us looking ahead to the next milestones as the project continues to advance.

"What gets measured, gets done."