Clean Air for the Upstate Area: An Action Agenda

Rampant Growth in the Upstate

Between 1990 and 2000, the Upstate area grew by over 130,000 people to almost one million residents - a 15.9 percent increase.
Rapid growth is projected to continue well into the 21st century: by 2030, the population of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson area is expected to approach 1.3 million residents.
While population is increasing in the Upstate area quickly, urbanized land use grew even more: nearly three and a half times faster than the population.
A recent study identified the Upstate as the fifth most sprawling metro area in the country - one in which density has actually decreased despite rapid population growth - just after fourth-ranked Atlanta, an area infamous for sprawl.
The number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) daily in the Upstate area exceeded 28 million in 2003 - more than 28 miles per Upstate resident every day.
Annual VMT in South Carolina is projected to grow by an average of 46 percent between 2007 and 2030, resulting in dirtier air and worse congestion.
Approximately 22 percent of workers within the Upstate area work in a different county from where they reside.