003: Sinking City 111 / The Premise
No place is today what it was long ago, that much goes without saying. The longer a locale has been shaped by human hands, the less apparent its history - at least at first glance. A simple function of our species’ penchant for tinkering and time’s relentless march. Generation after generation add their layer: a need, an idea, an “improvement.” And so it goes, early iterations of structure, form and function slowly begin to fade.
Running every single street of historic Charleston would be interesting under any circumstance. Armed with geographic tidbits we learned sleuthing an archive or two, combined with the undeniable effects of accelerated sea level rise on the peninsula and its population, we know we are in for a fascinating ride. This ain’t your great great grandmamas Charleston, that much is certain. The original city was a fraction of its current size, the peninsula looking more like a “spine and ribs” than the smoothed out modern day mass with its unnaturally uniform circumference. Old Charleston epitomized “Lowcountry.” Tidal creeks wound their way deep toward centerline surround by expansive swaths of saltwater marsh. As Charleston grew, both in population and economic standing, the city simply needed more land. Linear expansion up the peninsula along existing highland routes proved impractical at the time, so citizens looked to the abundant surrounding wetlands. A seemingly inexhaustible resource, what would it hurt to dam a creek here, fill a marsh there. In some instances, refuse and debris were piled in liberally, capped with topsoil and “voila!” Look, we made land. The process continued until nearly all of the peninsula’s watercourses and wetlands were no more. All well and good until something changed.
It began slowly, maybe a flooded street on the highest of tides. But unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the last decade or so, you know Charleston is on a short list of east coast municipalities poised to suffer the greatest impacts of a relentlessly rising sea. Miami, New York, Boston… Charleston. Old cities on low land wedded together by similar fate. Streets, neighborhoods, schools - no aspect of daily life is immune - some residences flood on a regular basis. It shouldn’t be surprising that the areas suffering most are located in the lowest areas - the city’s former creeks and marshes.
Turns out that many are unaware exactly what is underneath our feet. What do these neighborhoods built on former wetlands look like, on the whole, from the ground? And how might that inform where we are headed, what the next iteration of Charleston looks like, what will remain and what will fade away? We though it an interesting premise and compelling narrative from which to pursue our Every Single Street expedition. So let’s take a stroll (or jog) down memory lane and see what we can see. Its a Charleston that many have never known, and one we’re anxious to explore…
The Sinking City 111 course map - a composite of the original peninsula topography, the current street grid and fill areas, and all the neighborhoods we’ll run through. With thanks and admiration to Lisa Shealy for her map wizardry.