On Tuesday, December 1st, The Sustainability Institute hosted its first Upper Peninsula Initiative outreach event. The planning initiative focuses on sustainable community planning and urban redevelopment on the upper eastern side of the peninsula.
“Growth is inevitable
and desirable, but destruction of community character is not.. “ Edward T. McMahon, Urban Land Institute
Guests were invited to join The Sustainability Institute at a forum hosted at the Royal American to discuss the theme of greenspaces on the Upper Peninsula.
Royal American is a local bar and concert venue, with an unmissable happy hour deal. Also featured on the menu was The Institute, a cocktail 4 a cause, where a percentage of proceeds go back to the Upper Peninsula Initiative.
Guests were given t
hree stickers — a red, green and yellow. With the stickers, (green being the
most important and red being the least), participants chose a what they felt should be a top priority for green spaces located within the Upper Peninsula. Easily accessible paths for bikers and pedestrians were among the most popular features.
The results of the activity are as follows:
Julie Hensley presented the Baker
Hospital Park, and gave a brief update on the upcoming project.
The team is turning the former Baker Hospital site into a 57-acre regional park. With a brilliant location just south of Cosgrove Avenue along the Ashley River, the park is expected to make quite a splash here in Charleston.
Tom Bradford of Lowcountry Lowline also spoke at the gathering. Lowcountry Lowline is a revitalization project, spearheaded by a group of Georgia Tech students. The plan is to transform an old, abandoned railroad into a 6.5 mile linear park, connecting the lower and upper parts of the peninsula.
At the end of the gathering, guests were asked t participate in a brief survey. Our neighbors chose new strategies for the task force to implement. 
The Upper Peninsula Initiative is a public-private planning effort managed by the City of Charleston and the backbone organization, The Sustainability Institute.
For more information, please visit CharlestonUp.com or email info@charlestonUP.com.
Photos by Stan Foxworthy Foxworthy Studios.
*UPI is a community centered, neighborhood oriented planning initiative, created with the needs of the areas it serves in mind. The results of any survey conducted do not use empirical methods of data collection, and are not necessarily reflective of the community at large.
