ADAPTIVE REUSE OF TINY HISTORIC OUTBUILDINGS AS A PRACTICE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF CHARLESTON, SC
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Wilkinson, Johnsie Caroline
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Abstract
Historic preservation, adaptive reuse of existing buildings, and designing new construction to be as small and efficient as possible have all three generally been accepted as sustainable growth measurements in modern society. However, little research has been conducted on the adaptive reuse potential of tiny, historic outbuildings (THOs), between 80 and 800 square feet. Looking at the National Historic Landmark District of Charleston, SC, four THOs are proposed as case studies to determine if the variety of existing THOs could viably be adaptively reused as residential additions, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or commercial buildings, as a practice of sustainable development, in alignment with the Tiny House Movement. Research is conducted through analysis of comparable city policies, site visits, Sanborn Insurance Maps counts, statistical measures of outbuilding ratios, and analysis of social, economic, and environmental issues pertaining to THOs, specifically in Charleston, SC. The adaptive reuse of THOs is found to be a viable future practice for the City of Charleston to increase density, provide affordable housing, and align the city with the modern Tiny House Movement, while preserving historic neighborhood integrity. The research findings show that while other cities have successfully adopted procedures to encourage the building of ADUs, the City of Charleston faces legal discrepancies in the ability for residents to build new ADUs, adaptively reuse THOs, or incentivize such actions. Legal and financial adjustments are suggested on municipal, state, and federal levels to allow for the adoption of adaptive reuse practices of THOs.
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tiny historic outbuildings (THOs), Tiny House Movement, sustainability, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, additional dwelling units (ADUs), zoning, density, urban planning