Research and public service are on-going activities in the Department and the College of Architecture , Arts & Humanities. Recent areas of research include sustainability analysis, energy assessment, water resource planning, land use studies, retail market analysis, housing and community development strategies, downtown market studies, geographic information systems, infrastructure and transportation planning, solid waste, environmental problems and health planning. Students often join these projects as research assistants.

Public service projects are carried out on a regular basis in several classes. The Professional Studio class provides all second-year students with the opportunity to work on one or more local planning projects for clients. Students carry out these projects in the same manner as a planning office. This experience, along with the internship and work-study opportunities, provide Clemson graduates with significant real world work experience preparing them for the job market.

APA/SCAPA
Many planning students belong to the American Planning Association (APA). Clemson University funds many student Chapter activities such as the annual South Carolina Chapter Fall Conference including trips to cities like Charleston, Atlanta, and Charlotte. Our relationship with the Chapter is very close, as the Program Director and student president of the Clemson Student Chapter are both on the SCAPA Executive Committee. The State Chapter has over 400 members. Students are encouraged and supported to attend quarterly chapter meetings and many attend the national annual convention.

Center for Community Growth and Change
The College established the Center for Community Growth and Change in 2001. Directed by Dr. Barry Nocks, the Center coordinates public service projects within the College from an interdisciplinary perspective and provides assistance to local communities, provides a mechanism to conduct research and serves as an applied research laboratory for Clemson students.

The Center has worked on state, regional, and local planning projects such as river corridors, transportation modeling, alternative land use and environment impacts related to transportation, regional planning, and land use regulation procedures. A major focus of the center regards the issue of urban sprawl.

The Center's primary mission is to encourage efficient and equitable management of growth and change in the natural and built environment. The Center works with policy-makers and the community to promote policies and best practices towards achieving quality urban development in concert with conservation of environmental quality that promotes a strong economy and community livability. Furthermore, the Center emphasizes the cultural heritage of communities as a foundation for attaining a high quality of life. The Center provides a forum for positive exchange of ideas and information about quality communities in a growth environment.


South Carolina Design Arts Partnership
Founded in 1994, the Partnership was formed with support of the South Carolina Arts Commission, the South Carolina Downtown Development Association, the College of Architecture, Arts & Humanities, and Clemson University Outreach. Directed by Professors Bob Bainbridge and Mary Beth McCubbin, a diverse group of students are involved in the Public Service research studio class, providing design assistance to South Carolina communities. Projects range from town hall and park design to preliminary concepts for a childrens' museum, downtown revitalization and facade rehabilitation, college and university master plans, and city-wide beautification plans. Such projects provide an extensive faculty-student-client relationship involved in a multi-disciplinary studio environment using the latest in computer and communications technology.

SC Mayor's Institute for Community Design
The Mayors’ Institute begins with a three-day colloquium each fall in which six mayors from around the state discuss pressing and complex urban design and planning challenges with the help of a diverse faculty of experts. The colloquium is followed by a one-day workshop in each community and follow-up meetings. The Institute Director also serves as an adjunct to the faculty giving occasional lectures and participating in project reviews. Faculty from the department have been involved as expert advisors.

Strom Thurmond Institute for Government and Public Policy
The Strom Thurmond Institute was established in 1982 to formalize public policy research and service efforts at the University.  The Institute conducts applied research and service programs in public policy areas drawing on faculty, staff and students at the university for research and program support. The Institute also enhances public awareness of public policy issues through formal and informal educational programs.

Planning students and faculty have participated in Institute projects relating to: water resource policy, infrastructure and energy policy, solid waste management, and comprehensive planning for communities. The Institute houses the South Carolina Water Resource Research Institute and the Environmental Science and Policy Program.

Center for Real Estate Development
Clemson’s College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities and the College of Business and Behavioral Science established the Center for Real Estate Development (CRED) in 2001 to educate leaders who are creating land development in the 21st century. The new “master builder” center creates a rich research, teaching and public service resource for students, consumers and businesses in South Carolina and the Southeast. The initial mission has been accomplished — establishing the University’s Master of Real Estate Development program.

The CRED has an advisory board that provides counsel in implementing the center’s mission and in enhancing the resource base to support the center. Recent endeavors include evaluating statewide growth policies with the Home Builders Association of South Carolina and the S.C. Chapter of the American Planning Association, evaluating tax increment financing in South Carolina and hosting a regional workshop with the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors on future growth and market implications in the Greenville area.

Clemson faculty actively participated on a 36-member statewide task force for a two-year S.C. Quality Growth Initiative, which was sponsored by the national office of the ULI and the University of South Carolina’s Real Estate Center. The CRED director is the primary author of the report, setting the research agenda for a new statewide ULI District Council that will include active student involvement.

The CRED and MRED program are actively involved with many other regional and national organizations, including the National Association of Home Builders, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, CCIM, Appraisal Institute, Mortgage Bankers Association, Counselors of Real Estate and Congress for New Urbanism. Many of these groups have student organizations. In addition to those activities, guest lecturers for the MRED program often give presentations that are open to the public through the center.

SC Academy for Planning
In conjunction with SCAPA and the University of South Carolina's Center for Governance, the Department serves in a leadership position training planning, zoning, and design review commissions as well as professional staff at SCAPA conferences and at special continuing education sessions on campus. Established in 1999, the Academy provides the students an opportunity to observe the perspectives of practitioners and citizen commissioners dealing with the daily issues of planning and development throughout the state. Hundreds have attended these sessions.