Greenway mapping was based on a watershed analysis as well as a community infrastructure analysis so people could reconnect to the Cooper River.

During my time working on a 3-person team at Viridian Landscape Studio, I assisted with the various studies and mapping needed to establish stream daylighting and restoration opportunities. We delineated potential tidal restoration areas and the limits of Noisette Creek Preserve, a 135-acre park consisting of the Noisette Creek, salt marsh, and uplands from numerous data sources. We also looked at parcels that would need to be acquired.

Our work reconnected the community’s houses and commercial centers to the Cooper River waterfront by planning restoration efforts, including a 200-acre park with interconnected greenways that daylight currently piped streams to their historic locations. These restored greenways will provide a myriad of ecological services including heat island reduction and air and water quality improvement while also supporting the well-being of the community. Multi-use trails along these “fingers of green” will encourage neighbors to walk instead of drive and to recognize their place in protecting nature.