Savannah Ga. - Efforts For a Smart Future

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, Savannah is undergoing a combination of old and new. I say “combination” because that describes the process better than “transition”. In a transition, old would be replaced by new; however, in Savannah, the historic is entrenched and a vital part of Savannah’s make-up. The values of preservation are strong here and each step combining modernism with historic is made with historic survival foremost in mind. What this creates is not a replacement of one set of values by another, but rather a synergism of old and new where the sum of the creation is greater than the parts – and in my opinion, what is created is better than a gradual replacement.

This is a delicate balancing act and the process is fraught with complications. No one can argue that functionality is not important, and one area where modern trumps the historic is in the area of functionality. Modern buildings are built with present concerns in mind. For many years, on the southside of Savannah, where all new development moved along on the future track and was not governed by the values of preservation, it seemed functionality played a much greater role than form and aesthetics – large parking lots, plain-box buildings built for accommodation, wide streets built to handle traffic, and so forth. The result was that people began going where it was easier to shop, dine and access all the services a growing population needs.

This resulted in an overcrowded, visually unappealing, southside Savannah commercial district that was in stark contrast to the historic Savannah downtown and midtown areas. Historic preservation has always been important in Savannah, but during these years of southside development preservation was less important than quickly meeting the modern needs of a growing population.

It seemed for awhile that Savannah was in the process of sacrificing the old for the new, but thirty or so years ago a change began. As with any major shift, the agents of change were varied and many – concerns for tourism, a recognition of the special history of Savannah and the beauty of the city on the brink of being destroyed through neglect, along with other concerns and efforts to preserve history for history’s sake. But one major agent of change was Savannah College of Arts and Design. Here is a link to SCAD’s history, but for this blog post, suffice it to say that SCAD was a major player in downtown renovation and preservation. And, even on the southside there is an effort to balance functionality and aesthetics and pay respect to Savannah’s past-brought-to-present.

With renewed concerns for preservation, and with the ongoing problems of servicing a population with modern needs of functionality, a great shift has taken place in Savannah to combine the beauty and story of the past with the dynamic gyrations of the present – all moving toward a future that looks smart, functional and promising.

In a recent post, I wrote about the Savannah River Landing project which is a prime example of the combination I am talking about, but all around Savannah on smaller scales the synergy of smart development is evident and underway. It’s an exciting time to be in Savannah and I’m happy to be a witness.

As I go along here I will try to report on some of these developments and try to describe in words and pictures in my Photos and Information section, for those who read this from afar, what is taking place.

If you have any specific questions about Savannah you would like for me to write about, send them to Mike@MikeFarmerRealty.com.