Equity and Ecological Engineering in the Lowcountry
Earlier this year, RDE’s Holly Yaryan Hall presented a webinar for the American Ecological Engineering Society (link) exploring two coastal South Carolina case studies through the lens of a framework called FUSE—Framework for Urban Stream Engineering—which she developed as part of her doctoral dissertation (link). FUSE is a conceptual model that integrates ecosystem functions and benefits with both biophysical and social drivers, including the crucial element of environmental equity.
In the webinar, Holly introduced FUSE by comparing two tidal creeks along the Ashley River in Charleston, SC. Though similar in form, each creek plays a distinctive role in the history, culture, ecology, and identity of its community. Viewed through the FUSE model, the differences between these creeks become clearer, helping to guide community advocacy, inform stewardship efforts, and offer valuable insight into both the challenges and successes of preserving and restoring these vital waterways.
Sea Oxeye Daisy along Gadsden Creek, photo by Ben Jack.
The FUSE model represents a connected system of people and nature, combining the stream ecosystem pyramid with the surrounding social sphere. The pyramid’s four points—HYDRO, GEO, BIO, and CHEM—are key drivers of natural processes and conditions, shaping factors like water quality, habitat, and ecological function. In an urbanized landscape, these natural drivers are also affected by human actions—reflecting risks and benefits people experience in the Anthropocene.
The social sphere includes people, policies, and community values that shape and are shaped by the stream ecosystem—such as how we manage land, prioritize equity, or pursue development. This interconnectedness brings forward social-ecological benefits when the system is in balance. At its core, the FUSE model is about highlighting opportunities to create mutual gains—for both human well-being and environmental health.
Image: FUSE Diagram (Holly Yaryan Hall 2022)
For more than a decade, Robinson Design Engineers has supported the Friends of Gadsden Creek and their efforts to protect and revitalize Gadsden Creek, and since 2020 we’ve been working with the SC Department of Natural Resources, SC Aquarium, and the local community of Ashleyville to restore a tributary of Old Towne Creek and its saltmarsh. Gadsden Creek is the last remaining tidal creek in the Old City District of Charleston. A proposed land development plan would have permanently piped and filled this tidal tributary and its salt marsh wetlands—located next to Gadsden Green, a historically Black neighborhood on the Charleston Peninsula. In contrast, the Gadsden Creek Revitalization Project is a grassroots initiative focused on preserving, revitalizing, and celebrating this ecosystem.
Just across the river, in the urbanized Maryville-Ashleyville community of West Ashley, The Ashleyville Marsh Restoration Project emerged from community concerns over salt marsh dieback. A strong community coalition secured funding to study and restore the marsh over several years. This project illustrates how modest, well-planned efforts can generate significant impact—especially when aligned with short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Initial planting began in the first year, helping to build early momentum and generate social capital to support ongoing work. This early success also catalyzed further research into salt marsh plant genetics and tidal creek hydrology. As a result, the team developed a phased three-year construction plan, excavating one tidal creek per year and applying lessons learned from each phase to improve the next. Today, the restored creeks are thriving, and the surrounding 7-acre salt marsh is showing strong signs of ecological recovery.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Ashley River, continued community advocacy around Gadsden Creek has successfully stalled proposed development plans and drawn the attention of elected officials. These efforts have helped shift the conversation toward finding a more equitable and balanced solution—one that values both the ecological importance of the creek and the needs of the Gadsden Green community.
At Gadsden Creek, we’ve seen how social factors and ecosystem functions can influence and strengthen one other. But we’ve also seen how deeply inequity is tied to environmental challenges like compound flooding. It’s essential to look beyond surface-level measures like property value and understand the historical and societal roots of these issues. Conventional engineering often responds to flooding with a singular focus, sidelining or rejecting the social and ecological dimensions. In this case, decades of infrastructure neglect—driven by systemic racism—contributed to chronic flooding, which was then used to justify filling the creek. But through the work of the Friends of Gadsden Creek, a different path emerged—one based on preserving and improving the ecosystem, recognizing that doing so also strengthens the community and reduces flood risk.
The FUSE model helps make these relationships visible, showing how, with intentional and inclusive planning, we can create healthier, more resilient systems. These case studies demonstrate how the FUSE model can support practical, community-informed advocacy and actions that address both ecological function and social context. By recognizing the interconnected drivers of environmental and social outcomes, we can support restoration efforts that are more effective, equitable, and durable over time.