Collaborative will lead implementation efforts on Reality Check
September 2, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – Columbia architect Mary Beth Sims Branham, principal of LS3P Architects & Interiors, and Irene Dumas Tyson, director of planning at the Boudreaux Group, have been tapped to lead the Reality Check – Midlands Action Collaborative, formed to move the results of the Midlands Reality Check regional visioning exercise to action.
RC-MAC will focus on generating energy for the initiative, raising awareness of key victories that embody the principles of Reality Check, and galvanizing support for moving the strategies forward. With strong consensus for action coming out of last year’s Midlands Reality Check, the region is on the verge of transformational change. The visioning exercise held in late 2013 found a consensus for more compact growth and development focused in the region’s existing cities and towns and identified three guiding principles for growth:
- Infrastructure & Transportation: Encourage development where infrastructure is available, planned or can be provided cost effectively
- Efficient Development & Green Space: Promote the use of vacant lots and support healthy, vibrant neighborhoods while protecting open space
- Economic Drivers: Protect and enhance the region’s primary economic drivers
RC-MAC, which is led by key Urban Land Institute-SC members, is planning three symposiums over the next 24 months focusing on the guiding principles to help stakeholders identify actions that are missing, celebrate successes and share best practices from across the country. The first symposium, focused on “Infrastructure and Transportation,” is in the planning stages for October 2014.
Irene Dumas Tyson and Mary Beth Sims Branham
Dumas Tyson was co-chair for the Midlands Reality Check that brought together some 300 regional leaders for the visioning exercise. Sims Branham was co-chair of the Reality Check implementation committee. Now leading RC-MAC, Sims Branham and Dumas Tyson are unified in believing that “it is imperative that support extend beyond the collaborative and that the region stays motivated to do something. It is the people, organizations, governments and businesses that need to sustain the momentum. The challenges are multi-faceted and complex. The work cannot be accomplished in silos. With collaboration and cohesion we can create true game changers for the region.”
Reality Check included all or portions of eight counties: Richland, Lexington, Newberry, Fairfield, Saluda, Sumter, Calhoun and Kershaw. RC-MAC will continue to focus on the region as a whole and was formed under the auspices of the Urban Land Institute-SC Midlands executive committee.
About ULI: The Urban Land Institute provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI South Carolina was formed in 2005 to encourage dialogue on land use and planning throughout the state and within each of the three main regions. The nonprofit group, consisting of approximately 500 members, hosts more than 30 programs annually throughout the state.
For more information, contact Heather Foley, ULI South Carolina, 843-513-9331, [email protected]. Visit www.southcarolina.uli.org for more information.
