April 2003
Contents

Message From the Executive Director:
* The Upstate as the next regional city

Conservation:
* Couple preserves land along highway 11
* Northern Greenville county tract preserved
* UF members donate land adjoining
Jocassee Gorges to State
* Conservation Bank Act signed into law!

Articles:
* The Upstate is being developed at the rate of a new Haywood Mall every three days!!
* Downtown Schools: a key step toward sensible growth
* Downtown schools in the Upstate
good news and bad news
* Can Stories Save a River?
Bringing Lawson's Fork back to life
* Main Street: Heart and soul of the Upstate
* Victory for streams in the Upstate!

Upstate Forever News:
* Events
* Awards
* Volunteers
* Staff

Message From the Executive Director

THE UPSTATE AS THE NEXT
REGIONAL CITY

I recently read an outstanding book on the subject of growth and land use–The Regional City by Peter Calthorpe and William Fulton (Island Press, 2001). Its underlying and undeniable premise is that society’s economic, ecological and social problems must be addressed on a regional basis. “In today’s global economy,” they write, “it is regions, not nations, that vie for economic dominance...[and] the region is also the basic unit in environmental terms. Because of the interconnected nature of ecosystems, we are hooked together with our neighboring communities whether we like it or not.” Their conclusion is that “metropolitan regions that promote and manage growth, educate their populations, and maintain the quality of life will succeed. Those that remain mired in conflict and inaction will fail.”
     Of course, we live in a region called the Upstate. But are we addressing our economic and environmental problems on a regional basis? Sadly, the answer is no. In a region where many people profess a strong dislike for government, we have hundreds of government entities – cities, towns, school districts, and water and sewer districts. Most of these agencies jealously guard their turf. They compete, rather than cooperate, with each other. Sometimes they actually sue each other.
     A decision by one of these entities–running a new sewer line over here or building a new school out there–might make sense from the standpoint of that agency’s own agenda, but the cumulative impact of these decisions can be devastating for a region. Case in point: Atlanta.

     How can we start to discuss, evaluate and resolve the Upstate’s problems on a regional basis? In The Regional City, Calthorpe and Fulton show us the way. The first step is a series of meetings of local government officials, business leaders and interested citizens to “envision the future” of the region. They describe the success of such an approach in Salt Lake City where it was determined that continued low density sprawl would cost an additional $15 billion in infrastructure and public service costs, that massive road building would not solve the region’s traffic and air pollution problems, and that many people, especially young people and senior citizens, would not be able to afford to live in the region. They have charted a new course by adopting a regional plan that will make “sprawl as usual” a thing of the past.
     If they can do it in Salt Lake, we can do it in the Upstate.