Town Green



 In the small city in the midlands of South Carolina, lies a city called Camden. Camden came up with an innovative idea called the Town Green project which consist of transforming the old east back parking lot from an old depilated surface into a green space. Camden originally laid out in 1732 as the town of Fredericksburg, Camden is South Carolina’s oldest inland city in the state. It was founded when King George III ordered eleven inland towns established near the rivers in South Carolina that were used as transportation. Since the area was founded on swamped land, most of the area’s residents chose to build homes on the higher ground to the north, (the site of present-day Camden). Joseph Kershaw arrived from England in 1758 and opened a store at a site he named Pine Tree Hill. About 10 years later, the town’s name was changed to Camden in honor of Lord Camden, a champion of colonial rights named Charles Pratt. On August 16, 1780, the British scored a major victory over American forces at the Battle of Camden, fought about five miles north of town. Over time, the town evolved into a resort town, housing the wealthy from all over the east through the winter months during the early 1900’s. Many of these wealthy, part-time residents brought their thoroughbred horses with them. Because of this heavy equine influence, Camden  developed a rich history of polo, steeplechase, and other equine related activities.

             According to Camden city census 2010 results, the population of the city is approximately 7,000 people. From 2000 to 2010, the Camden city population growth percentage was 2.3 (or from 6,682 people to 6,838 people). The census 2010 race data for Camden city include the racial breakdown percentages of 34.8% blacks, 0.7% Asians and 2.4% Hispanic. In the Camden the average household income is 63,379 with the average net worth of 377,215. Yet despite being one of the oldest cities Camden didn’t have a green space until 2010.

             In the middle of downtown Camden, SC there is a parking lot that used to stand, the town is now green. Opening in early January 2010, the Camden Town Green combines the revitalization of an old parking lot and the creation of a new green space in the core of downtown Camden. Once an aging, damaged parking lot with serious storm water issues, will be replaced with a large grassy area with large oak trees. The project was initiated after citizens input during the “Vision Camden” planning project in 2008 and took less than a year to complete. City council wanted to correct a storm water infrastructure and create more parking spaces for the downtown area, and from that came the Town Green project. Before the Town green was completed the town did not have a public space that could be used as a venue for different town events. “The Art center used to pick an intersection and block it off for performances” replied Shaun Putnam….

             The project cost roughly 1.1 million dollars to complete. The city utilizing hospitality tax revenues and utility funding to fund the majority of the project which was enacted in 2009. However, private donations are also being solicited for the large oak trees and other native trees that will inhabit the Town Green. The donations were tax deductible which added more donations. Some of the town green feature species were American Hornbeam, Live oak, American elm’ Princeton, Bald cypress, and Black gum “Wild Fire”. The City of Camden dedicated the trees at the Camden Town Green. These trees were donated in memory of individuals, by local businesses, and families. Many people joined Camden City Council and City staff to dedicate eight live oak trees and five American hornbeam trees.

  The city was very proud that they did not have to borrow any money to fund this project. The city planner stated that “ It made him very proud that they were able to do it own their own and that spawned more support for the project”. The maintaince cost is very basic, because the city is still under guarantee maintaince cost. This also eased the minds of many citizens because they feared this would continue to be an expensive project.

             The  response of project had many supports including support from the mayor Jerffery Graham. On the opening of the Town Green Graham stated to the local WIS news that “the year-long project was a way to get more parking during the weekdays and then transform the area to a place where locals could play music or just hang out on the weekends or evenings. "There's a huge crowd," said resident Lisa Obradovich, "Everyone's eating and following their little kids around." I'm so glad to see everyone come out, and of course, the kids love it," said another resident Joyce Cullen, "They can run free." "This was a normal asphalt parking lot," said Mayor Jeffrey Graham, "And actually what we were able to do is transform it to a venue. And actually at the end of the day have more parking spaces." The mayor said the space was built on a slab as old as the city. He said it's an example of balancing history and evolving a space into something new

             Although the initial response to the project had been overwhelmingly positive everyone wasn’t on board at first. During construction many local business owners lost a lot of parking space and many were not happy about that. They felt that the missing parking spaces were costing them customers and business. Shawn Putnam state that the city did in fact provide temporary parking but that still didn’t satisfy the local business owners. Some of the residents of Camden were also concerned that public parking was going to be taken away. This project actually not only visually added vibrancy, but it also diminished the concerns of idea that parking spaces were going to be taken away. “The city council was able to get the surrounding property owners who allowed them to put in spaces as long as some of those space were dedicated to them and their business”(Shawun Putnam). This created ten to twenty more parking spaces that were present before the Town Green. The local bussiness eventually got on “board” when they saw how much more people were downtown than before the project more so that a local restaurant called the Old Armory Steakhouse provided a seating area outdoor adjacent to the town green. The city council also allocated money 2,500 for Facade and many business applied for the grant to fix the rear of their building facing the Town Green. Many of the local business started making private investments because of the city’s public investment.

  Mayor Jeffrey Graham describes Camden as “a great historic Southern town” that has suffered from being made too automobile-focused. “If you look through old maps and photos of our downtown over the last one hundred years, you’ll see how the automobile began to dominate city planning initiatives after World War II,” Graham says. “Don’t get me wrong,” Graham adds, “We Southerners love our cars, but one of the keys to making Main Streets work is finding a pedestrian/automobile balance.”

             This location is not just a green space it is often used as a venue as well. Last month the town held their annual chilly cook off and many other events as well. For example on St. Patricks Day they held activities and entertainment on the Town Green. "We were excited to offer a family friendly day on the Town Green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day”, said mayor Jerffery Graham.

             Since the initial opening of the Town Green in Camden there has been an addition of statue and a flag pole installed. The statues are of Catawba Indian King Hagler and Col. Joseph Kershaw. These statues adds a piece of history to the Town Green and gives it more of a community feeling. There also was a flag pole installed on the anniversary of 9/11. This was a public ceremony for the community and the public members of the allegiance attendant as well. There was a lesson to be learned for many of the people of the city of Camden and that is something as simple as an “open space can bring a town together and unify the people in a way that was never expected” (Shaun Putnam). “It is not all about the personal gain of the local business owners it is about the gain of the people and in the end the Town Green benefited the residents, local business owners and the earth” (Shaun Putnam)

             This project would could add to any community, town, or city. I would recommend this project to any area that needs vibrancy especially a small community or city. This is a great way to get community to come together for a common cause, which is making there town a greener and more vibrant place to live. There are many empty and abandon parking lots in everywhere in the Upstate this would provide a green space and additional parking for the crowded downtown areas. This project could also spark business owners and residents to better take care of their buildings and communities. Residents and young children may be less likely to deface a building or littering when surrounded by a beautiful green venue. Upstate could use a beautiful open space with several surrounding parking spaces to hold the many events that are held each year.