Along with the South Carolina Practitioner's Guide for Green Infrastructure Planning, an assessment and mapping model is being developed so that individual counties and jurisdictions can identify and rank their green infrastructure assets and map them to inform local planning decisions. Karen Firehock of the Green Infrastructure Center, who is leading the project will present an overview of the green infrastructure guide and computer modeling, definitions and case studies and explain how green infrastructure strategies can help localities and regions better conserve their environmental and cultural resources to address a host of issues. With the new model, jurisdictions will be able to:
• Create new natural resource maps for the county or jurisdiction and recognize assets that span the region (shared by one or more counties)
• Rank and prioritize the landscape to help determine where conservation or growth should occur
• Create maps to inform comprehensive plans, future land use plans, transportation plans or recreation plans
• Make better -- more strategic -- decisions based upon the easily updatable model provided.
• Assist your community in meeting its values for wildlife conservation, biodiversity, water resources protection or area restoration etc.
• Determine options for compliance with regulatory plans such as for TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loadings of Pollutants).
• Consider how well the rural economy is supported (working lands such as farms and forestry).
Kathryn Basha, Planning Director
Phone: (843) 529-0400 ext. 210
KathrynB@bcdcog.com