Evolution of Land & Land Use Characteristics:
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1733 Oglethorpe Plan:
Old Savannah Land Characteristics:
Old Savannah Land Characteristics:
- 1 sq. mile area for Town & Commons
- 3 sq. mile area for 5 acre Garden Lot
- 24 sq. mile area for 45 acres Farm Lot
- 42 sq. mile area for 1 sq. mile villages
The land in Savannah is limited to development due to the extensive areas of wetlands and swamp areas that covers up most of the east part of Chatham County. This low topographical feature has been the biggest challenge of Savannah in its growth and the way land can be used. The Oglethorpe plan, laid out in 1733, was in combined a town and regional plan. The plan defined the land characteristics in terms of usage and lot size. As savannah was primarily founded for cotton and rice plantation and new home to the refugees in London, Oglethorpe classified the land in four ways. One square mile area of compact parcels for the town and common; three square mile area for less dense five acre garden lots; twenty four square mile area for forty five acre farm lots; and forty two square mile area for one square mile villages.
The Oglethorpe plan formed the foundation of the land characteristic in Savannah. However, with the decline of the cotton industry and evolution of the transportation system, land characteristics changed eventually. In the eighteenth centuries Savannah grew predominantly by annexing and repeating the grid layout. The biggest change in land use and character came following two major paradigm change. First one being the end of industrial era, where due to shortage of land suitable for development, expansion of Savannah occurred from east side to the west, mainly by the process of infillment of industrial brown fields. The second reason has been historic preservation, which restricted the land use and increased the land value in the historic core of Savannah. The current land use pattern in the map shown reflects the way land has been shaped. As available land for growth was restricted with natural constraints, downtown Savannah has been highly urbanized with mixed-use land types. It mostly consists multi-family, commercial and retail land uses. The area in vicinity with the port and river has grown as industrial. The land which was assigned for garden lots in past, became single family low density residential. Also we find concentration of public/institutional land such as Hunter Army Base filed and conservation areas around the city of Savannah. A substantial amount of land still remains undeveloped in the western part of the city and it contains the potentiality to future growth.
The Oglethorpe plan formed the foundation of the land characteristic in Savannah. However, with the decline of the cotton industry and evolution of the transportation system, land characteristics changed eventually. In the eighteenth centuries Savannah grew predominantly by annexing and repeating the grid layout. The biggest change in land use and character came following two major paradigm change. First one being the end of industrial era, where due to shortage of land suitable for development, expansion of Savannah occurred from east side to the west, mainly by the process of infillment of industrial brown fields. The second reason has been historic preservation, which restricted the land use and increased the land value in the historic core of Savannah. The current land use pattern in the map shown reflects the way land has been shaped. As available land for growth was restricted with natural constraints, downtown Savannah has been highly urbanized with mixed-use land types. It mostly consists multi-family, commercial and retail land uses. The area in vicinity with the port and river has grown as industrial. The land which was assigned for garden lots in past, became single family low density residential. Also we find concentration of public/institutional land such as Hunter Army Base filed and conservation areas around the city of Savannah. A substantial amount of land still remains undeveloped in the western part of the city and it contains the potentiality to future growth.
![Picture](/uploads/2/5/8/4/25848011/1398138569.jpg)
Land Characteristic in Savannah:
- Restricted by Wetlands and Soil Types
- Growth by annexation
- Followed Transportation Network
- Growth occured from East to West by Infillment
- of Industrial Lands
- Historic Preservation increased Land Value