Did You Know?
Settlers to Charleston first landed in West Ashley before the colonies declared their independence 106 years later. Some simple math will tell you what year that was.
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The average annual cost of keeping an automobile running is about $3,000. You would spend less than $300 per year using a bicycle and right around $0 walking.
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From 1995 to 2000 transit passenger miles increased by 16% while passenger car miles increased by 11%.
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More and more studies are confirming what we suspected all along: sprawling development that requires trips to be made in an automobile affects our weight and overall health. Read more about an Atlanta-based study in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Globe and Mail.
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The Texas Transportation Institute reported in its 2002 Urban Mobility Study that the the Charleston metropolitan area ranked as the most congested city of its size. Thing is, this is as good as traffic congestion will ever be again.
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A recent survey by Jones Lang LaSalle in its Property Futures publication found that 77 per cent of New Economy companies rated access to mass transit as an extremely important factor in selecting corporate locations. --Source: www.publictransportation.org
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The amount of area in West Ashley within City of Charleston boundaries is approximately 28.7 square miles. That is the majority of West Ashley. Residents not already taking advantage of City services can petition for annexation. Find out more by calling 724-3788 or email Philip Overcash.
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If you hate traffic, the best times to drive are between 1am and 4am. Of course most people are not going to change their travel patterns to go to work at 4am, so expect traffic to only get worse unless we create connectivity and support multiple modes of transportation.
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Around 14% of the population on the Charleston peninsula are aged 65 or older. This is about the same percentage as the City overall.
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The Census 2000 estimates around 2% of commuters 16 years and older use a bicycle to get to work in Charleston. Around 6.6% of commuters walk to work. One goal of the City Plan is to get these percentages up.
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The density of the Ansonborough Neighborhood is 24 units per acre.
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In America only 1 in 8 children walk to school today. The Century Five Plan advocates locating schools, parks and other civic uses near neighborhoods where people live, work and play so that schoolchildren will again have the option of walking or riding a bike to their destinations.
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The City of Charleston has a density of about 1,000 people per square mile. How does this compare with other similar-sized cities in the U.S.?
Well, the average density of 28 similar cities is about 4,500 people per square mile.
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About 12 bicycles can be parked in the same space required for an automobile (make that 18 for SUV spaces).
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Central Park in Manhattan constitutes about 8% of the land area of Manhattan. Hampton Park constitutes about 1.5% of the land area of the Charleston peninsula. But, there are 24 square feet of Central Park for every Manhattan resident and 74 square feet of Hampton Park for every peninsula resident.
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The total population on the Charleston peninsula has decreased by about 48% since 1960. Census 2000 counted the number of people at around 34,410.
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A 2003 national survey asked, "What is the best long term solution to traffic congestion?" Some results:
36% - improve public transportation
31% - develop more walkable communities
25% - build new roads
Source: Surface Transportation Policy Project
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In the City of Charleston, the number of children 5 years of age and younger decreased by 8.8% between 1990 and 2000.
Source: US Census Bureau
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Urban sprawl has been defined in many ways, but it basically just means growth that is not economically or socially sustainable. While density is one factor in how much sprawl is occuring in a community, many other things contribute significantly. You can calculate the "sprawl factors" for your type
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In general, a $10 million investment in public transportation results in a $30 million gain in sales for local businesses -- 3 times the public sector investment in transit capital.
--Source: www.publictransportation.org
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The term 'gentrification' is an ambiguous idea that can mean different things to different groups or individuals. PBS has done an insightful documentary program addressing the main issues and subtleties of gentrification. Learn more at www.pbs.org.
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Of all the reasons parents provided for why their kids don't walk to school 'School is too far away' was the most cited (66%). The University of North Carolina recently did an interesting study about 'walkable' schools called "Good Schools--Good Neighborhoods". Read the report at www.unc.edu.
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The first Cooper River Bridge cost about $6,000,000 and was a toll-bridge until 1946.
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A study by the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that intersections with roundabouts on average reduce accidents by 37% when compared to traditional signalized intersections. Injuries from accidents are reduced by 50%.
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The United Nations estimated that 48% of the world's population in 2003 lived in urban areas. By 2007, they anticipate over 50% to live in cities. The Charleston's urban area is experiencing the same kind of rapid growth that other parts of the world already know. Read recommendations for managing s
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It takes about ten minutes to walk one-half mile. We mean walk, not stroll. Are there any destinations within ten-minutes of your home?
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Transportation planners in Seattle were surprised to find traffic volume increased over 50% in just a few weeks on a newly widened Interstate 90 bridge. This indicates that new automobile traffic was "induced" by the additional lanes and didn't relieve traffic congestion at all.
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According to the latest U.S. Census, around 9% of Charlestonians claim Irish descent. Interestingly, those claims go up to about 95% on today's date every year.
Find more facts and demographic information on Documents and Forms section.
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The estimated persons per square mile in the City of Charleston has inched up from 996 in 2000 to around 1,058 in 2005. Does this mean that sprawling subdivisions remain the dominant type of development rather than mixed use infill and redevelopment projects?
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So far in 2006, over 200 people have joined the City of Charleston as residents through the process of annexation. If you would like to join the City or find out more about the advantages of becoming a resident call 724-3789 or email Jennifer Rogers.
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According to a national survey, about 26% of American bicyclists ride for recreation, 23% for exercise, and 5% for commuting to work. --Source: www.bicyclinginfo.org
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The average household size in the City of Charleston decreased from 2.43 to 2.23 people per household between 1990 and 2000. We have more demographic information on our Documents and Forms page.
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In the City of Charleston, the number of children 5 years of age and younger decreased by 8.8% between 1990 and 2000.
Source: US Census Bureau
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About 7% of all Charlestonians speak a language other than English at home.
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The Census 2000 estimates around 2% of commuters 16 years and older use a bicycle to get to work in Charleston. Around 6.6% of commuters walk to work. One goal of the City Plan is to get these percentages up.
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The total vehicle miles traveled per day in 2004 in Charleston County was about 8.5 million. Around 2.5 million of those miles were driven on interstates or freeways.
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Some researchers have found a relationship between obesity and the types of low-density and spread-out development associated with urban sprawl. Children and adults living in sprawling neighborhoods are more likely to be overweight.
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In 2004, 85 pedestrians were killed in collisions with automobiles in South Carolina. What can you do to help plan for better pedestrian/bicycle facilities? The next time you are walking or riding a bicycle in your neighborhood look for 'pedestrian perils' that might discourage people to walk.
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A 2002 national survey indicates 33.9% of people aged 35 to 44 rode their bikes within the last 30 days.
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Around 44% of homes in Charleston are units in multi-family buildings. Our Neighborhood zoning District encourages diversity of housing and shared resources by allowing a mix of single and multi family units.
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Since 1930, the U.S. has one-third the number of schools, but twice the number of students. Mega-schools are great for accommodating students and cars, but they get bad marks on things such as student health, traffic, and pollution. Source: EPA analyst, Tim Torma
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Some residents of the area have been here longer than others. About one-third of we Charlestonians were not born in South Carolina. However, we all, as current residents, have a stake in how our City grows and evolves.
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The City of Charleston maintains a growth boundary that was also adopted by Charleston County in their Comprehensive Plan to limit sprawling growth and protect rural areas. Although not enforced by law, the City maintains the boundary by policy adopted in our Century Five Plan.
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In general, a $10 million investment in public transportation results in a $30 million gain in sales for local businesses -- 3 times the public sector investment in transit capital. --Source: www.publictransportation.org
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Urban sprawl has been defined in many ways, but it basically just means growth that is not economically or socially sustainable. While low density is one factor in how much sprawl is occuring in a community, many other things contribute significantly.
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We estimate the 2006 City of Charleston population in West Ashley to be about 52,400 people. This is a 14% increase since the year 2000.
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The first Cooper River Bridge cost about $6,000,000 and was a toll-bridge until 1946.
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Excluding water, the entire city of Charleston is approximately 105 square miles. That is about 7.5% the size of Charleston County and about 3.25% the size of the Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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In the last 15 years the City of Charleston has spent more than $23 million on a growing system of bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Residents and visitors today can use over 27 miles of pathways in Charleston.
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Attached houses make a much more efficient use of land than traditional single family detached homes and can be just as spacious and stylish. On a 10 acre piece of land, 100 to 150 rowhouses can be built as opposed to only about 25 to 50 detached homes.
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By adding new highway capacity, as the American Highway Users Alliance and other highway interests advocate, will do little to alleviate congestion in the long run and likely will exacerbate already severe air pollution problems in metropolitan areas across the country.
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One EPA report indicates higher density development has much less impact on water quality than sprawling, suburban development. Check out the report at the
EPA website.
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