Community Research and Design Center
The College established the Community Research and Design Center in 2001. Directed by Professor Jori Erdman, 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.
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.