Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP)
Department
City and Regional Planning
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Caitlin Dyckman
Committee Member
Dr. John Gaber
Committee Member
Dr. Dustin Read
Abstract
Municipal annexation is a powerful tool for improving communities. United States cities historically use municipal annexation to increase tax revenues, grow populations, and increase land areas. However, attitudes about annexation are changing, and there is emerging interest in broadening annexation practices to advance a broader range of social and environmental benefits. For example, annexation can be used to improve blighted areas, control overdevelopment, protect environmentally sensitive areas and open spaces, and improve the lives of residents. It is not clear if cities support using annexation in this way, and if so, when those uses are possible.
Despite restrictive laws and regulatory hurdles, South Carolina municipalities actively annex new land into their cities. Using a South Carolina policymakers survey, case studies of four South Carolina cities, and quantitative mixed-method triangulated research, this thesis explores South Carolina municipalities’ willingness to use annexation for societal and environmental good.
This research confirms that cities can use annexation beyond traditional reasons of revenue, population, and land area growth. Cities can use annexation for social and environmental justifications to improve communities and the lives of those who live there. However, as with many public policy questions, cities must balance the public benefit of the annexation with the cost of implementation and service. This thesis identifies issues with annexation and makes recommendations for implementation and future research.
Recommended Citation
Stall, Russell H., "Annexation for Good: An Equity Approach for Social and Environmental Justice with Municipal Annexation" (2022). All Theses. 3794.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3794