(RE)MAKING OF A LOW-WEALTH NEIGHBORHOOD IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA USING A COMMUNITY DRIVEN DESIGN PROCESS ROOTED IN ENVIRONMENAL JUSTICE

Muhammad, Ernest Clifford

(RE)MAKING OF A LOW-WEALTH NEIGHBORHOOD IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA USING A COMMUNITY DRIVEN DESIGN PROCESS ROOTED IN ENVIRONMENAL JUSTICE

Authors

Muhammad, Ernest Clifford

Abstract

Charleston’s African American population has fallen from 70 percent to about 20 percent in just a single generation, losing a sense of belonging to what had been a diverse and welcoming community for more than a hundred years. This thesis seeks to identify pathways that honor the uniqueness of what it means to be an established community undergoing a transformation that feels like change that ignores and overlooks the lived experiences and humanity of long-time residents. The interventions suggested anchor transformative placemaking that centers the experiences of African American residents on the Eastside. Transformative placemaking for this community prioritizes revitalization strategies that engage residents in meaningful ways using a well-documented model developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency through consensus building and collaboration rooted in Environmental Justice Principles.