Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2000

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Planning

Major

Planning

Major Professor

James A. Spencer

Committee Members

David A. Patterson,Cecilia Zanetta

Abstract

This study examines the utilization of New Urbanism concepts into the Comprehensive Land Use Plan in Cherokee County, GA. Specifically, the study addresses the impact of the Township Concept in Cherokee County that was presented as a development model in Cherokee County's 2017 Comprehensive Plan. The study was conducted as a case study and included a literature review, research of local government records, and interviews of persons who played a significant role in the development and implementation of the Township Concept. The initiation and implementation of Township Planning Process in three individual communities were specifically researched. The study also looks at the overall political impact of the Township Concept and it's future viability as a land use policy for Cherokee County. While Townships were proposed for fourteen different communities in the 2017 Comprehensive Plan, only two were officially established. Two Township Planning efforts failed in part due to the negative opinions many citizens had towards the Township Concept and because of the divisiveness that ensued within those communities during the Township Planning Process. Many of the negative attitudes expressed towards the Township Concept can be attributed to certain misunderstandings of the Township Concept, lack of education regarding the Township Concept, and in part to the values and preferences of many of the County's citizens which conflicted with the principles of New Urbanism. The experiences of the failed Township Planning efforts would play a significant part in the loss of political and public support for the Township Concept. A shift in the political makeup of the County would eventually lead to public policy decisions that would virtually eliminate the proposed Townships from the Future Land Use Map and the Township Concept in general.

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