The College of Charleston’s Riley Center for Livable Communities has released its 2016-2017 annual report, highlighting projects and initiatives undertaken over the last 12 months.
As a strategic initiative of the College, the Center leverages the resources of the university to support the economic and cultural vibrancy of the City of Charleston as well as other communities throughout the state of South Carolina and beyond.
The center defines a “livable community” as one that includes equitable access for all residents to education, jobs, healthcare, food and housing, along with diverse opportunities in the arts, culture and recreation. The 2016-2017 livable community research projects and programs included the following initiatives:
Food Systems Change Initiative – a multi-agency, statewide collaborative focusing on increasing the local food supply through new farming and gardening programs, policies and procedures.
Local Government Leadership Institute – in collaboration with Francis Marion University, Coastal Carolina University and the Lake City Partnership, the Riley Center is developing and implementing a program to train and develop local government leaders.
Charleston YOUth COUNT – an initiative that partners with key community organizations to assess and understand the needs of people under the age of 25 who are housing and/or food insecure, starting with evaluating the needs of students at CofC.
To read the full report visit the Riley Center’s website.
