Staff Report

COLUMBIA -- Officials and concerned citizens of five South Carolina towns are spending this week creating a new vision for a future of growth.

The South Carolina Design Arts Partnership’s Design Week, which runs through Saturday, pairs local officials with volunteer design professionals -- including landscape architects and architects -- to address social, economic and environmental issues the towns are facing.

The statewide initiative is sponsored by the SCDAP, an organization aimed at improving the quality of the built and natural environments through design, education and leadership training that is a partnership of the South Carolina Arts Commission and Clemson University.

Little Mountain, Westminster, Olanta, Liberty and Allendale were chosen last year by the SCDAP to undergo a yearlong program dedicated to small town revitalization, called the South Carolina Mayor’s Institute. Design Week is the culminating event of the yearlong Mayor’s Institute. It traditionally includes interactive workshops that are open to the public -- a veritable think tank just before the mayors graduate from the program.

“Citizens will hopefully have the opportunity to share and celebrate all of the things they love about their community,” said Lindsey Moore, SCDAP executive director. “There will be a new opportunity for dialogue during Design Week in a creative, safe atmosphere. Diverse groups of people will be able to come together and listen to each other, helping to create a collective vision for the future.”

Volunteers include members from the American Society of Landscape Architects, American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, historic preservation and economic development, who typically help form a plan for sustainable design and pursue resources, such as grants and technical assistance.

“South Carolina is changing—the future isn’t what it used to be,” Moore said. “Communities of all shapes and sizes really need to have a game plan in place to prepare for all of the challenges and opportunities to come.”

While some communities can’t keep up with rapid growth, others struggle to attract more people to their waning communities. Design Week examines such issues while attempting to maintain the town’s individual identity.

“No matter what a community is facing, having a collective vision of the future, developed in conjunction with a common understanding of where the community has been is a primary factor in helping the community succeed in the 21st Century,” Moore said.

The SCDAP recently instituted a follow-up program for small towns in the S.C. Mayor’s Institute that includes on-going consultation and technical assistance until their “community design dreams” come true.

Schedule of Events

March 3: Liberty

March 4: Wesminster

March 5: Open Day

March 6: Olanta

March 7: Allendale

March 8: Little Mountain