Bowers said he doesn't think any community is doing everything right yet, but he points to Noisette in North Charleston, S.C., as one that has suffered economically and is taking a holistic approach to its redevelopment.
He sees a lack of that kind of integrated approach in Columbia. Various entities take responsibility for different elements of the environmental puzzle, but there isn't any overall, comprehensive strategy, he says.
Bowers is confident that he has a ready audience in Columbia, where he lived for about four years during the 1980s. And he recognizes that the community loves to let its stakeholders impel change.
"There are a lot of people in Columbia who are really devoted to everything I'm talking about," he said. "It's demonstrating to people that their quality of life can be maintained and incorporate these things. We can talk all we want, but I'm not sure it's going to convince folks. We have to show them. Part of it is having it built and having them experience it."
The convergence of the conservation movement with environmental restoration, and the notion of sustaining those efforts over time, is only three to five years old, Bowers said.
"It's not just regeneration of ecological components. It's about regenerating human spirit, how we live in harmony with each other and nature," he said. "It's about maximizing our evolutionary potential. Right now, we're degrading that potential."
june.arney@baltsun.com
