Land-use planning can help shape the future of coastal counties in North Carolina. 



LAND-USE PLANNING: 



.Coastal 

 _ Counties 

 Prepare tor 

 the Future 



By Pant Smith 

 Photos by Scott T. Taylor 



St- 



atistics alone don't tell the story of growth along the coast. Yes, Brunswick County grew 

 by a phenomenal 43 percent between 1990 and 2000. And Currituck and New Hanover counties 

 leaped ahead by 32 percent and 33 percent respectively. 



But for James Leutze, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the 

 reality of the population boom hit home during a flight along the coast from Charleston, S.C., to 

 Wilmington. It was shocking, he says, to see so much coastal land covered with homes, shopping 

 centers and other commercial buildings. 



The scene was riveting to Leutze, a lifelong advocate of the coastal environment. In fact, it 

 inspired the making of Paving the American Dream: Southern Cities, Shores and Sprawl for 

 public television. The documentary, narrated by Leutze, focuses on the environmental, economic, 

 historic and social impact of growth along the South Atlantic seaboard from Maryland to Florida. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 17 



