Feeling the squeeze: a political ecology of race and amenity-based development in coastal Bluffton, South Carolina

Abstract

This paper develops theoretical insight from the rapid development of the coastal town of Bluffton, South Carolina. Bluffton has experienced rapid growth and development over the past 15 years, associated with the amenity-based migration of tourists, second homeowners, and retirees. The local management strategies that dominate regional development often project visions of coastal growth around the possibility of healthy environments and strong economies. The debates around these strategies have centred on the sustainability of development and environmental change, and have contributed to the production of amenity-based landscapes. However, I argue that these debates enforce normative ideals for “good” and “bad” development, which materially and discursively reinforce forms of inequality on the landscape. In particular, this paper will show how contrasts between new development projects and existing communities normalise certain city-building strategies that obscure, or even legitimise, race and class inequalities. Consideration of development/environment debates and the landscapes they help to produce provide an opportunity to envision an alternative future that emphasises social and ecological justice.

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