About Us
Our Mission
Our Values
The Charleston Urbanist Group (CUG) is an organization founded by students from the College of Charleston’s Urban Studies program, the Historic Preservation and Community Planning program, and the American College of the Building Arts.
By combining the intellectual efforts of our institutions, we can commit knowledge and resources to the betterment of Charleston. Together, we will bridge the gap between architecture, planning, and preservation to advocate for a superior Charleston.
We believe in preservation through new construction, or the idea that urban growth is not the opposite of historical conservation. It is essential that we maintain Charleston's unique character as we navigate this period of rapid growth.
“We must free ourselves from our tendency to see cities as their buildings, and remember that the real city is made of flesh, not concrete.”
-Edward Glaeser
To bring this vision into reality, our organization relies on three concepts:
Tactical Urbanism: We believe an approach to improving the built environment that utilizes small, temporary, and/or low-cost objects. By installing pop-up installations, we can visualize our message
Written Advocacy: A better built environment begins with more ideas. By expressing our ambitious ideas to a large audience, we aim to spark thought.
Socialization & Community Building: Glaeser demonstrates that cities, at their core, are about people. We host social gatherings, discussions, debates, and collaborative events to develop the ideas needed for action.