| The purpose of this study is to examine the "wicked problem" of development in the Sewee to Santee region of coastal South Carolina. "Wicked problems" regularly challenge political, administrative and societal groups. They are indefinite in formation and solution, as they tend to recur even after a resolution has been accepted. Changing demographics in the Lowcountry have required adaptations in natural resource management to accommodate increased development and population growth. These adaptations to management can be difficult to implement as many diverse values exist among numerous constituency groups in the area. By examining values of individuals through Q Method and those expressed in local literature and policy through discourse analysis, I aim to better articulate the values, needs, and desires of Lowcountry inhabitants with the intent of communicating these to guide future decision-making. Therefore, mixed quantitative and qualitative methods were used to determine how residents value types of development, as well as how they interpret, respond to, or feel about natural resource management in the Lowcountry. Constituents matched to three factors as a result of Q Method: 1-Managing to Preserve, 2-Intervention without Infringement, 3-Limited Regulation for Prosperity. There was a general consensus among all respondents that community is important and should be a priority in planning for development. Discourse analysis revealed similar perspectives among local government, but a less community-based view at the state level. Finally I propose management recommendations to deal with "wicked" development in the Lowcountry based on my findings. |
