The reading for Monday is too large a .pdf to load on our website, so you need to go to OAKS to find it. Open “Content,” and you should see a module called “Readings.” It will be the only file in there. Read the whole document, but don’t get bogged down in the details. Post a response to either this prompt or to someone else’s response: WHAT IS THE URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY, AND DO YOU AGREE WITH IT OR NOT?
Academic Writing
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The entire Charleston area is divided into two zones: Rural and Urban/Suburban. The line separating these zones includes Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Sullivan Island, downtown Charleston, North Charleston, James Island, Folly Beach, Kiawah Island, and Sea Brook Island. Within this boundary is the area classified as Urban/Suburban and the plan states that in these areas it is acceptable to increase density in areas that already have a medium or high density status. This keeps the busy home, work, and commercial areas compact and efficient while minimizing the disturbance to outside areas. Outside this border lies the Rural area. This includes water, forests, farmland, and other types of natural land. The goal for this area is to protect as many of the natural resources as possible from an increase in density. However, the existing homes, churches, schools, and limited small shops are acceptable. I agree with this plan for land use because it achieves two opposing tasks. First, it feeds the healthy growth of the medium to high density areas while, second, preserving the peace and natural resources in the rural areas. Like the document stated, this allows the Charleston area to keep its charm and “protect the valued rural character of the Lowcountry.”
The Urban growth boundary is a barrier to prevent suburban sprawl and high density dwellings in areas that can’t handle it, to defend against issues like congestion, deforestation, loss of agricultural zones, and the loss of the charm and character of charleston. I agree with Meg, I think that having and establishing the urban growth boundary where it is, is a good choice for charleston. I think that planning effectively for this kind of growth is vital to protect all of the things that are most important to charleston, including natural resources, the “feel of charleston,” and the economy. I think this important to note something that I was particularly happy to see in the article- the depth of consideration that was given to the preservation of natural resources including wetlands, protected and nongame species, and forests. Another more indirect environmental consideration that’s taken is that a big reason rural areas have so many guidelines is that in the article it repeatedly states that Charleston want’s to be able to rely on locally sourced agriculture, which decreases energy costs and helps to bolster the economy is rural regions that could otherwise struggle. I also appreciate that the plan give special attention to areas that are deemed to have historic value and looks to preserve that unique character that charleston has, it’s comforting to know that with so many people flocking to Charleston to call it home, the city is ready to grow responsibly for both the inhabitants of charleston and the local ecosystem.
The urban growth boundary is centered around the downtown Charleston peninsula and extends out around folly beach, Kiawah and Sullivan’s island, around the town of Mt. Pleasant, up through North Charleston and around the town of Summerville. This boundary marks where higher density development is allowed to continue and this is designed to prevent urban sprawl from taking over the agricultural areas outside the boundary. The agricultural areas are protected from higher density development and their local culture is preserved by support of the local economy by local businesses centered around agriculture. I support this plan because the prevention of urban sprawl and the preservation of agricultural areas and natural resources is important both to the farmers and people the farms support. The higher density development within the cite brings more concentrated business to the city of Charleston
I agree with Sydney’s description of the urban growth boundary. She hit all the main areas that surround the peninsula, which is what most people think of when they hear Charleston, South Carolina. As far as the expansive urban development part of the urban growth boundary, I disagree. I think that if we tried to turn more rural areas surrounding the peninsula into a developed area, things could go wrong. Traffic could increase and natural beauty would be diminished.
The Urban Growth Boundary of Charleston County encompasses the greater area of Charleston, including from Seabrook, Kiawah, and James Islands as well as Folly Beach, to Mount Pleasant, and north around North Charleston and Summerville. These towns are classified as urban and suburban zones, and can support a higher density population, as well as a higher density growth rate. The Urban Growth Boundary that surrounds these towns is designed to retain the spread of urban enterprises out into the agricultural areas that back up to this boundary. As a result, the rural areas outside of the urban/suburban zones can hold onto their agricultural roots and small businesses and landowners can operate without worrying about urban centers expanding outside of the growth boundary. I think this plan to contain urban growth is smart and comprehensive. Most of the tourism industry and high commerce businesses are contained within the highly populated city center, and it allows for rural life to continue which is beneficial to those who operate their lives and businesses in those areas, as well as helping the environment by concentrating urban sprawl.
The Urban Growth Boundary is the division of Charleston between its Rural Area and the Urban/Suburban Area. The goal is for more growth in the Urban/Suburban Area while preserving the land of the Rural Area. Because of the abundance of trees, water, agricultural land, and wildlife, residences will be limited to the ones that already existed and services are only to serve the needs of the rural citizens and farming activities. However, development is encouraged in the Urban/Suburban Area. With more development, there will be more residential areas, more jobs will be available, and the residents will have more commercial areas for their enjoyment. I agree with the Urban Growth Boundary because it provides benefits for those in the both areas. The natural land of rural Charleston will be preserved and it will allow for the agriculture to continue. The urban/suburban Charleston will still possess its attractive qualities and attract tourists to add to its high prestige.
As a response to the above posted comments which have all praised the brilliance of the Urban Growth Boundary, I would argue that this boundary is a good idea in theory, but there are issues with its practical application. I completely agree with and support the notion that the rural character of the Lowcountry should be maintained; however, I do not think that the solution is concentrating all of the city’s growth into an already high density area. At some point the density will become too much. Traffic, overcrowding, and crime all become significant problems as you increase population density. Charleston already has significant traffic problems during the morning rush hour, and if the city concentrates more office buildings and more urban growth in a small sector, traffic will become even worse. Crime also rises with population density, and while it is critically important to maintain the beauty of the natural landscape, the safety of the city must also be a high priority. I agree with the mission of the Urban Growth Boundary, but I think it will ultimately fail in its execution.
The Urban Growth Boundary separates the Rural Area from the Urban/ Suburban Area of the County. Specifically, it includes James Island, Sullivan’s Island, Folly Beach, Seabrook Island, Kiawan Island, and more. It promotes growth of industry and services in the Urban/ Suburban Area, while promoting the preservation and conservation of agriculture and the Rural Area that composes most of the County. The Urban Growth Boundary requires coordination and cooperation between the Town of Mount Pleasant and the Cities of Charleston and North Charleston. Its main goal is to maintain a distinct pattern in the County, emphasizing the separation between the Urban/ Suburban Area and the Rural Area. Ultimately, the Urban Growth Boundary promotes higher density growth in the already sprawling Urban/ Surban Area, but it prevents large residential and density growth in the Rural Area to ensure the conservation of the forest and water areas as well as the agricultural areas. I agree with the Urban Growth Boundary because it is able to increase commercialization and density in the Urban/ Surban Area but still be environmentally friendly with land use in the Rural Area. I believe there is a healthy balance with the Urban Growth Boundary.
The Urban Growth Boundary is a line separating the Urban/Suburban Area of Charleston Country from the Rural Area is causing a hated debate. This line constrains the development of urban buildings, apartments, and higher intensity growth form Seabrook Island to Mount Pleasant and up to the town of Lincolnville. Many of these areas are bustling with tourist eager to see the beauty of Kiawah Island to the historic downtown Charleston. Many residents of the areas enclosed by the urban growth boundary are unhappy with the rapid growth the boundary will place on the area. While there will be rapid growth in these areas, there will also be a rapid growth of the economy. The tourists will flock to these areas to shop or sightsee. In conclusion, the Urban Growth Boundary will help the economy and help the residents ban accounts.
The Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is a boundary designating urban life (high density living, commercial developments, industrial land uses) versus rural life (farms, agriculture, backroads, low density living). The UGB is set in place in hopes of preserving the culture of the Lowcountry. Within the UGB, high density growth is encouraged along with commercial land use. However, once outside of the inner UGB boundary and into the designated rural landscape, preservation is key. I absolutely agree with the UGB because I find it vital to preserve cultures and natural environments so rich as the Lowcountry’s. The soil itself is deemed some of the most fertile and usable, and that alone is key not just for the environment but for our own needs. With high growth development becoming a growing issue, it is important to designate that not all land is to be used for housing and commercial shops. Land needs to be set aside, like with the UGB, and made known that there are strict limits on growth in order to keep farming alive and well. Beyond just farming, the UGB helps protect species that would otherwise be extinct to the region if the wetlands were to be used for residential or commercial purposes instead of as a wildlife habitat. In the end, the UGB is a smart way to ensure that culture and life is comfortable in Charleston County while also allowing for high growth as well.
The Urban growth boundary defines the area of Summerville all the way east to Isle of Palms and Seabrook Island including North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Folly Beach, James Island, and downtown Charleston. These areas are defined as Urban/Suburban areas and have a capacity for a high density of growth and development. Outside the boundaries is classified as a rural area with forestry, agricultural land, and other natural land. The goal of the urban growth boundary is to preserve the rural character of the county, encourage compact growth in the urban/suburban and other already developed areas, and to authorize innovative planning strategies to respond to the boundaries and the land use needs. I agree with the growth boundaries because it promotes business in the already developed areas and helps the economy by further developing it where it has the demand to expand while it also promotes the use of agricultural farmland and the preservation of natural areas helping to keep the aesthetic of natural areas and concentrating urban sprawl.
An Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is a line that divides the Rural areas in a community from urban or suburban areas. As can be expected by its name, an UGB is what allows urban areas to continue to grow and flourish while simultaneously preventing them from crossing over and consuming any of the rural areas. The UGB in Charleston County encompasses Seabrook and Kiowah Island, travels up around Folly Beach, James Island, Sullivans Island and the Isle of Palms, then circles Mount Pleasant, Charleston and North Charleston, and finishes up around Summerville and Lincolnville. I believe that the UGB is a good idea and a well-thought out policy because it manages to preserve areas that could easily be destroyed by urban growth like forests and wetlands, yet promotes the growth in areas that are safer to build, thereby boosting local economy and helping with the job market. Also, should there be any places within the UGB that an individual believes should not be tampered with, the policy states that privately owned property will not be subject to those changes. Additionally, the UGB will be revised and reformed every few years so that it takes into account the changes in the rural area and whether those environments have expanded or not, further preserving their quality and visual appeal.
The urban growth boundary separates urban and suburban areas from rural and agricultural areas. This boundary highlights the change from areas with frequent activity to little activity and areas that are reliant on the quality of land. I agree that certain lands need to be left for agricultural use and that the lands already being used for urban/suburban purposes should continue to be used as such, but with any increase in the population growth, the areas could eventually become overcrowded, the roads would become congested, and resources such as land and water could become scarce. While the plan accounts for many issues (environmental and industrial), there is no way to be sure that the high density urban areas will not be negatively affected. The preservation of agricultural lands is extremely important, especially because a great deal of Charleston’s history is centered on the coast and plantations. It is important to preserve the land to preserve the history and keep the urban/suburban life of Charleston as safe and productive as possible.
The Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is a proposition to divide the land of Charleston and the surrounding areas into designated rural and urban areas. It has been created to preserve the Lowcountry areas in Charleston and stop the spread of Urbanization. However, this plan is unrealistic if Charleston continues to want to become a prominent city. With the airport doubling in size within the next few years, Charleston is sending a message to the rest of the country that they are ready for an increase in tourism and business. The designated Urban areas through the UGB plan will become so overpopulated with the influx of people that the city will need to expand in order to accommodate. While the thought of preserving the land is valid, the UBG proposition is overall impractical.
The Urban Growth Boundary separates two distinct areas in Charleston – the Rural Area and the Urban and Suburban Area. It was put in place to promote growth in the Urban/Suburban Area where adequate infrastructure and services are already in place allowing for preservation of the rural areas of the county. The main object of the urban growth boundary, in non-governmental English, is to avoid the urban areas of the city of Charleston from spreading over the rural areas which the county is known for and instead focusing the growth of the population to become more dense in the urban and suburban area. Even though in the sense of preservation of the rural area this may sound like a grand plan, the weakness of the project is that Charleston will not stop growing when the maximum density has been reached, and the center of the city already has issues because of density, for example the traffic during rush hours. The city eventually has to expand to fill in the rural areas and the change is not preventable, so focusing the growth to affect density rather than spreading out into the rural areas is eventually going to have an effect on not only the traffic, which is already happening, but also as the population density increases, the living conditions worsen and crime rates get higher. Therefore even though the project itself has a goal worth fighting for, trying to make the population grow inward rather than outward can cause problems after some time.
The urban growth boundary provides a hard limit for the growth of the urban district of Charleston into the surrounding rural areas of the county, which includes woodlands, marshes, and beaches. I agree with the notion of an urban growth boundary, because not only does it preserve the integrity of the low country, but it is environmentally friendly. It prevents the inevitable growth of the urban environment from destroying precious habitats. If the coastal environments are not maintained properly, areas of the city would eventually be deteriorated by re-wilding. However, it is a difficult proposition, because it puts a strict limit to how much the city can grow in a healthy way.
The ideas that the Urban Growth Boundary entails separating rural and urban settings. The real point of this is to keep the historic preservation of Charleston alive while also expanding to allow more hotels, roads, and tourist attractions to flourish in the city. The boundary really includes separating off James Island, up to Summerville. The theory should be sound, but looking into the future, I am not sure how true that will be. There has been a lot more tourism, especially since the shooting at Emanuel Ame Church this summer. People were coming in donating their time, money, and attention to help the cause. There is a lot more people, meaning there is a lot more hotels and transportations needed. Also, the construction of the airport should be completed in about four years, meaning that the city is expecting more traffic and more visitors. With improvements like these, it is impossible to keep a rural area. It is unrealistic to have the same boundaries for such a long time when it involves a city because people are growing, cities are expanding, and things cannot stay the same forever. It is a nice idea, yet very unrealistic in today’s society.
The Urban Growth Development Plan is a plan that limits the growth of Charleston to the urban/suburban areas and out of the rural areas. While this plan is admirable, it is impractical. We can see with the College of Charleston, and the housing of students, that this simply won’t work. With the increase of forced triples (a two-person room with 3 people living in it) , Charleston built NoMo. The school is growing, but Charleston has no where to expand but outward. As an employee of a South Carolina State Park, I know how much pride SC takes in their wildlife. It’s a huge part of the culture here, but you can’t simply stop the growth of a city already as progressive as Charleston. This plan doesn’t limit the amount of population, only where the population can be. Eventually, the population can only move outward. It simply isn’t practical. NEW PROPOSAL: make Charleston less cool so no one wants to be here.
In Charleston there is a boundary between rural and urban/suburban areas. The purpose of these boundaries are necessary in preserving the environment around the Charleston area. Land use contracts are trying to preserve the Lowcountry areas of Charleston by setting a boundary on where urban development can occur. These boundaries can be beneficial for the environment, but detrimental to urban growth. Personally I agree with the land use plan in order to preserve the Lowcountry environment.