Lowcountry Connections Voted the Best

Lowcountry Connections is the best. That's not just local opinion, but the designation of a national association of planning organizations. The Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) named Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCD COG) the most outstanding metropolitan planning organization (MPO) from an area with more than 200,000 people. The award was presented to BCD COG at the 2006 AMPO Annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL for the Lowcountry Connections project.

The Lowcountry Connections project was lauded for creating and evaluating innovative approaches to increase physical activity through community design, public policies, and communications strategies. After forming a local partnership, the BCD COG worked with Toole Design Group for almost a year and a half to complete the Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan. This plan was integral to promoting healthy lifestyles and active living through a Safe Routes to School program, Complete Streets policies, and community interventions.

By establishing Lowcountry Connections and the Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan, BCD COG staff is now the 'go-to' contact in the region for bicycle and pedestrian issues. The organization fields calls from media, policy makers and advocacy groups on a daily basis, and that is not the only thing that has kept them busy. BCD COG staff has also been hired by nearby towns to rewrite regulations in favor of increased connectivity and to allow for new urbanist street designs. Lowcountry Connections is not only making Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester more walkable, but they're sharing their skill and experience to create walkable communities on a regional basis.

Lowcountry Connections has not only proven that its accomplishments are award-worthy, but it has created a model MPO bicycle and pedestrian action plan that is paving the way for private/public collaboration on these issues. The project has served as a forum for discussions on how representatives from public health, developers, advocacy groups and others can work together to promote policies that are inclusive of healthy and active living.

These awards and collaborations are not all talk; the BCD COG has also assisted in the completion of a Regional Greenway Plan and Regional Long Range Transportation Plan that allocate over $30 million to Complete Streets projects. Lowcountry Connections has formed partnerships with representatives from the Medical University of South Carolina, the Citadel, city and county planners, the College of Charleston, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the South Carolina Department of Transportation and others to ensure future funding and collaborations that will continue to make active living and healthy lifestyles a priority in their communities. Through their innovative approach to promoting healthy and active lifestyles, Lowcountry Connections has created an award-winning program that will keep their region at the top of the list for years to come.

Resources

Charleston, SC Partnership Page

National Award for Outstanding Technical Merit in Metropolitan Transportation Planning

AMPO Award Call for Entries