Ecologically sensitive planning for recreational communities in the southeastern low country

• Main Author: Roan, Michael D.
• Other Authors: Smith, George R. (George Robert)
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Planned communities > Environmental aspects > South Carolina; Planned communities > Environmental aspects > Georgia; Recreation areas > Environmental aspects > South Carolina; Recreation areas > Environmental aspects > Georgia; Coasts > South Carolina > Recreational use > Environmental aspects; Coasts > Georgia > Recreational use > Environmental aspects; Planned communities > Designs and plans; Hutchinson Island
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/20.500.14291/187143; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14291/187143; http://liblink.bsu.edu/catkey/1217403

This creative project will develop a planning method for implementing concepts of ecologically sensitive recreational community design in America's southeastern low country (the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia). The first step in developing the method will be identifying a list of indicators measuring the ecological impact of recreational community design in the area. Secondly, the environmental impacts of planning methods if recreational communities in the low country will be analyzed and the most effective planning techniques relative to minimal environmental impact will be cultivated and integrated to formulate a single planning method. This method will subsequently be used to design a recreational community on Hutchinson Island, located on the Savannah River in Savannah, Georgia. The Hutchinson Island recreational community design will then be measured against the set of ecological indicators, and the results will then be compared against the aforementioned existing recreational communities.In the past thirty years, the popularity of the southeastern low country as both vacation destination and place of residence has increased dramatically due to a combination of factors, a beautiful environment with a favorable year-round climate, landmark developments in the area of recreational community design, and a steady growth in the wealth of our nation. As developers continue to meet the demand for housing and amenities (both recreational and commercial) in the area, the ecology, rich in biodiversity and aesthetic character is being compromised. Since development of the area shows no sign of slowing, there is a need for a planning and design methodology that is accountable for its impact on the natural environment. To thoroughly investigate the ecological realm of recreational community planning, this creative project will be limited to that area, although it is recognized that effective community planning addresses social and economic sustainability, as well as that of the environment. Thesis ...