American Ecological Engineering Society

This webinar examines two coastal South Carolina case studies using a framework for urban stream engineering (FUSE). FUSE is a conceptual model of ecosystem functions and benefits that incorporates biophysical and social drivers, including environmental equity. For the past 10 years, Robinson Design Engineers has been volunteering with the Friends of Gadsden Creek in Charleston, SC, and since 2020 we have been working with the SC Department of Natural Resources, SC Aquarium, and the local community of Ashleyville Marsh. Gadsden Creek is the last remaining tidal creek in the Old City District. A land development corporation proposed to permanently pipe this tidal tributary and fill the associated salt marsh wetlands adjacent to Gadsden Green, a historically Black community on the Charleston Peninsula. Alternatively, the Gadsden Creek Revitalization Project is a grassroots-based approach that would restore the ecosystem. The Ashleyville Marsh Restoration project is in the Maryville community, in the urbanized West Ashley region of Charleston. Community concerns about a degraded saltmarsh area led to a grant-funded project that seeks to restore the ecosystem by excavating tidal marsh channels, planting marsh grass, and placing oyster substrate. FUSE illustrates a balanced system, maximizing benefits to both humans and the environment.