June 2003 Contents

Message From the Executive Director:

Articles:

Upstate Conservation:

Upstate Forever News:

  

 

Dan Burden Rocks the Upstate!

A key element of downtown Greenville’s revitalization has been making Main Street safe and inviting for pedestrians.

     When world-renowned “walkable communities” expert Dan Burden agreed to visit theUpstate for two days, he said we could work him as hard as we wanted. And did we ever! We scheduled seven separate events for him on March 11 and 12 in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson and at Furman and Clemson Universities. We did allow him a few hours sleep. Each event was a great success–the total attendance exceeded 500, and we received terrific coverage in several Upstate newspapers.


The good and the bad: Clemson Boulevard’s busy retail district in Anderson (above) is unappealing and dangerous to pedestrians. Highway 93 in Clemson (below) has been retrofitted to add a landscaped median, shaded sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides.

     There is no more knowledgeable and passionate advocate for better community design than Dan Burden. He spends 350 days a year on the road, traveling across the world and making his case with a Power Point presentation that takes your breath away and leaves you saying, “Yes! Yes!” Dan gives you a candid assessment of what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong in your community. He had high praise for the downtown revitalization efforts taking place in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson, but he was quick to criticize the many overbuilt highways and woefully inadequate road crossings that we have in our region. There’s nothing like hearing Dan live, but the next best thing is his website: www.walkable.org. So please check it out if you were not able to hear him.

     Also, we are pleased to announce that Dan has agreed to serve on our Advisory Council. We are very honored to have him in the Upstate Forever family.

Dan Burden leads a walking tour in Spartanburg.

 

Thank You To The Wonderful Supporters Who Made
Dan’s Visit To The Upstate Possible!
CO-PRESENTERS
ENDORSERS
  • HeartWise Spartanburg
  • Greenville County Pedestrian Task Force
  • Upstate Forever

City of Greenville
City of Spartanburg
Design Strategies LLC
Emerald Realty Services
Furman University’s Environmental
Action Group
Johnston Design Group
McLeod Landscape Architects
Neal-Prince & Partners Architects
Overstreet Studio
Palmetto Conservation Foundation

Partners for a Healthy Community
Pazdan-Smith Group, Inc. Architects
Safe Kids Greenville County
Safe Kids Spartanburg
Seamon, Whiteside and Associates,
Inc. of Greenville
Sierra Club, William Bartram Group
Spartanburg Area Transportation
Study/Spartanburg County Planning
and Development Department

EVENT CO-SPONSORS
  • County of Anderson
  • The Randolph Group
  • Richard W. Riley Institute of Government,
    Politics, and     Public Leadership at Furman University
  • Clemson University’s Center for
    Community Growth and Change
  • The Strom Thurmond Institute of
    Government and Public Affairs at Clemson University

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