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Linking Greenville's Neighborhoods to Jobs and Open Space |
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| City of Greenville, South Carolina | March 2012, Issue No. 3 |
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In Celebration of a Successful Kick-Off
The first public Kick-off Event was held March 1 at the West Greenville Community Center. City staff and the consultant teams would like to thank everyone who took time to be a part of the process. The West Greenville Community Center comfortably housed the 75 attendees who came from all over the City to participate in the discussion.
Miss the Meeting?
The Kick-off meeting has been recreated online! If you missed the March 1st kick-off, the presentations and surveys from the meeting are available here on our website. The presentations cover the basics of the project. If you were unable to attend the meeting, please take a moment to complete the housing and transportation surveys. The surveys will be live through March 30.
Next Steps
The consultant teams will continue to gather information as they begin to draft the City-wide housing and transportation plans. The plans are scheduled to be completed later this summer. The consultants will continue working with the Steering Committees, and gather more input at the next public meeting. Stay tuned to this newsletter and the Connections for Sustainability website for more details. |
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Top 5 Ways to Get Involved
1. Sign-up for Monthly Newsletter
The monthly newsletter is a great source for the latest news and upcoming plans for the Connections for Sustainability project. Signing up ensures that you also receive public meeting notices. Sign up here
2. Follow the website
We're always working to update the website with the latest information about public meetings and project progress. In addition, the Livability Educator posts current classroom projects, and a periodical "Walk in the Woods" series that's the next best thing to going for a hike!
3. Attend public meetings
The Connections for Sustainability project is a local planning project that needs local input in order to be successful. The public meetings are the best way to get a complete picture of what's being discussed, and to take part in the conversation.
4. Send us your comments and suggestions
If you see something on our website, or hear something in our public meetings that you have an opinion about, tell us. Tell us in person, call us, or send us an email. (connections@greenvillesc.gov)
5. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The City maintains a Facebook page and Twitter feed. The latest Connections events and happenings are posted there. Additionally, the Livability Educator, Jaclin DuRant, maintains a Twitter account, and posts updates related to her work in the community. |
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| Sustainability Spotlight
Save the Fish,
Plant a Tree
Fish and trees are two seemingly unrelated organisms. Yet, as so often in nature, there are intricate and complex ties that bind the unrelated to one another. Fish live in water and are affected throughout their life cycle by the quality of the water that they live in while trees mostly live on land, but in a variety of ways, trees have the ability to affect and protect the quality of the water bodies in their environment.
Trees take up water through their roots and release it into the air through their leaves. This process is called transpiration and is an essential part of the water cycle (a large oak tree can transpire 40,000 gallons of water a year). In addition, trees absorb nutrients and chemicals present in water, filtering pollutants out. Root systems stabilize soil, prevent erosion, and slow the runoff of water over land. All of these processes help to reduce water pollution from storm water runoff, protecting water bodies and the organisms that
live in them.
Planting a tree anywhere can be beneficial to both people and the environment, but trees alongside streams, rivers, and other water bodies are especially important and function as "riparian buffers." Riparian buffers are vegetated strips alongside water bodies that protect water quality and aquatic life by slowing and filtering storm water runoff.
Trees also provide shade for water bodies which can be essential to aquatic life forms during summer months. Dissolved oxygen content in water decreases as temperatures increase, and dissolved oxygen is essential for fish and other aquatic organisms to survive. So if you're looking for an easy, fun, and aesthetically pleasing way to help protect the environment, planting a tree is a great way to help protect water quality and our fishy friends. |
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Clemson University Students Contribute to Connections Project
Students from the City and Regional Planning masters program at Clemson Unviersity assisted the City by conducting a data analysis and conditions study of the West Side. They developed a master plan for the Southernside neighborhood, and a report on effective outreach methods.
Data Analysis & Conditions Study
A system to identify conditions, trends, and issues within the City was developed. In addition, students measured changes in Greenville with a focus on special emphasis neighborhoods and the West Side. Topics that the students researched include population, transportation, and housing.
Communication & Outreach
In November, a public input meeting was held providing residents with the opportunity to express concerns and issues, as well as their vision for the neighborhood. Details of the resulting master plan were shared with Southernside residents on February 9, 2012. Input provided at this meeting is currently being incorporated into the plan and will be reported to the neighborhood in the near future.
Southernside Master Plan
A system to identify conditions, trends, and issues within the City was developed. In addition, students measured changes in Greenville with a focus on special emphasis neighborhoods and the West Side. Topics that the students researched include population, transportation, and housing.
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