Feeling the squeeze: a political ecology of race and amenity-based development in coastal Bluffton, South Carolina

Abstract

This paper develops theoretical insight from the rapid development of the coastal town of Bluffton, South Carolina. Bluffton has experienced rapid growth and development over the past 15 years, associated with the amenity-based migration of tourists, second homeowners, and retirees. The local management strategies that dominate regional development often project visions of coastal growth around the possibility of healthy environments and strong economies. The debates around these strategies have centred on the sustainability of development and environmental change, and have contributed to the production of amenity-based landscapes. However, I argue that these debates enforce normative ideals for “good” and “bad” development, which materially and discursively reinforce forms of inequality on the landscape. In particular, this paper will show how contrasts between new development projects and existing communities normalise certain city-building strategies that obscure, or even legitimise, race and class inequalities. Consideration of development/environment debates and the landscapes they help to produce provide an opportunity to envision an alternative future that emphasises social and ecological justice.

Keywords:

• political ecology
• amenity migration
• race
• discourse
• development
• South Carolina coast

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Chris Van Dyke, Edward R. Carr, Sara Powell, and Patrick Hurley for their valuable contributions to this research and manuscript. Thanks also to Sara Powell for making the map. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge and thank four anonymous reviewers for their excellent suggestions.

Notes

The Lowcountry is a colloquial name for SC's coastal counties.

New Urbanism is a design strategy for a range of scales (i.e. buildings to communities) that embraces principles of ecology and incorporates social, economic, and environmental issues. See newurbanism.org for more information.

Conservation subdivisions are neighbourhoods that are built around the conservation of non-human resources such as open space, biodiversity, wildlife, water, etc.

For some perspective, between 2000 and 2007, Bluffton gained 1,220,685 square feet of commercial space – a remarkable 97% increase occurred between 2003 and 2006 (Frost and Brownstein 2007a).

Silviculture is the practice of managing forest stands for a diverse set of human needs (i.e. paper or lumber production).

An ORW is considered a resource of exceptional importance and value. The May River is known particularly for its oyster production and historic significance.

“Softer” in the sense that most hints of slavery and colonisation are stricken from public view or re-valorised in completely unfamiliar terms.

This prompted the mayor at the time, Theo Washington, to proclaim, “That will help a lot of poor people here. And we have money for maintenance and operation. That's priority number one” (Associated Press 1999). The view being that development-related growth would help out the town and matriculate to the low-income community.

The development of Palmetto Bluff was a joint venture between Duke Energy (and their development arm Crescent Resources) and Morgan Stanley Real Estate, who in turn preserved and created economic value for those virtues through enclosure and exclusive use.

Many access points were previously usufruct, civil, or open to the public, but changed when land use shifted to neighbourhood development.

Heirs' property is typically land that was deeded to African Americans after the Civil War, and is passed by inheritance through generations.

Historically, this land ownership complexity has been used to dupe some local African Americans into selling their land, creating an active distrust of formal legal structures (Brabec and Richardson 2007).

SC annexation laws prohibit municipalities from approaching property owners for annexation.

May River Road runs along the southern portion of Bluffton and connects the town to Savannah. It is now the connecting road to Palmetto Bluff.