UPL 101 K.Woods Assignment #2
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Alabama A&M University *
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101
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Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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Uploaded by CaptainTarsierMaster889
Karter Woods
Summary and Review of Southhaven, Mississippi’s
Comprehensive Future Land Use, Housing, and Transportation
Plans
Southaven, Mississippi, has a comprehensive development plan adopted in August 2020
to facilitate the city’s growth for 20 years. It addresses several topics of interest, including land
use, transportation, and housing.
The plan's first mention of land use is under the “Goals and Objectives” section header in
the subsection “Land Use Goals.” There are five main goals listed in land use planning. The first
goal is to maintain the logical distribution of land uses, with general public welfare as a critical
factor. The second goal is to ensure that development does not infringe on the environment and
natural resources of the area.
Building upon goal one, goal three seeks to ensure the land is used
as effectively as possible. Multi-functionality and accessibility for pedestrians, with emphasis on
attractiveness, is addressed in goal four. Finally, goal five, recognizing that not all would enjoy
the benefits of goal four, ensures the continued development inside single-zoning districts.
Overall land use is discussed extensively, from existing land use to future land use plans.
Existing land use is divided into residential, commercial, medical office, industrial, public/semi-
public, institutional, vacant lands, and streets. A map is provided to visualize the different land
uses across Southhaven. Because of its land use, Southhaven acknowledges that car dependency
has impacted city planning. A table illustrates land supply measurements, consisting of measures
for the existing city and planning area. The future land use plan is required in Mississippi to
show designation for the proposed land uses. It is stated that there are two purposes for the future
land use plan: to provide the general location of planned future development and to create order
among current land uses. This enables a smooth implementation of planned projects. There are
several strengths and weaknesses that are seen in Southhaven’s comprehensive plan when
compared to what is addressed for land use in Urban Planning for Dummies. One such strength
is that a future land use plan relates to housing and transportation, as aforementioned Southhaven
plans to create better transportation routes and different types of residential communities. The
mention of the increased need for proper transportation and housing also addresses demographic
and economic changes within specific areas of the city. This is essential because the city’s
economy and population characteristics affect what the land needs to be used for. Another
strength is the use of existing land use maps. It allows for a general overview of what
Southhaven is currently doing with its land. However, this plan's weakness is the lack of a
property-by-property inventory.
The first mention of transportation is also in the “Goals and Objectives” section, under
the subsection “Transportation Goals.” There are two main goals listed in this section. The first
goal is to provide multiple forms of safe public transportation for everyone who needs to travel.
Goal two is to provide safe and accessible transportation for not only vehicles but pedestrians as
well. The city plans to achieve these goals by resurrecting an old railway line for local transport;
however, there is no specific timeline. The city also plans to continue to create pedestrian ways,
such as multi-use trails that connect neighborhoods to parks, schools, and community centers.
They provide a map that outlines the connecting areas across Southhaven. The city uses a map to
indicate several improvements to the street network, but these are more precisely discussed using
three different categories. Southhaven plans to create new street connections or extensions, one
of which being along the Nail Road East corridor, in anticipation of continued development. This
would move traffic from the currently heavily traveled Getwell Road. Two other projects are set
to occur off I-55, which will drive traffic more efficiently and account for truck traffic created by
the new industrial warehousing uses.
Two projects will develop to the west and south of Swinnea Road. There are three cases
of a need for realignment to increase maneuverability. One in particular is a realignment of the
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“S” curve along Star Landing Road, a road set to increase residential development. Finally,
Southhaven hopes to improve the city by enhancing interstate access and interchanges. Although
modifications to I-55 are strictly controlled by the Mississippi Department of Transportation and
the Federal Highway Commission, Southhaven has proposed improvements to an interchange to
increase traffic capacity. This will aid in transportation and improve land use. A new interchange
is also offered at Star Landing Road. This will create access to undeveloped land.
Housing is introduced before “Goals and Objectives” in the “Demographic Data” section.
This section discusses the housing characteristics of the City of Southaven and DeSoto County. It
provides charts displaying the data regarding an increase in housing resulting from population
growth. There are five goals in the “Goals and Objectives” section addressing housing. Goal one
is to improve the overall housing quality in the Southaven community. The second goal is to
attract developers to and utilize underdeveloped areas and provide more housing opportunities.
Introducing and creating sustainable housing is the third goal for Southaven. Following
sustainability, the city’s next goal is to develop interactive neighborhoods that allow neighbors to
feel more socially connected. Finally, the city hopes to provide housing that allows aging
community members to access different housing types easily. Housing is also discussed in the
Future Land Use Plan, which mentions low- and high-density residential land use, manufactured
homes, and mixed-use areas. This plan's strengths include infrastructure development and
alternative housing models. Southhaven is actively proposing highway improvements to gain
access to sites designated for multi-use land. These areas would provide housing and necessary
resources in close proximity to one another. The city accesses how to house the aging population
better; however, Southhaven does not pay particular attention to climate-resilient housing or
green building spaces. It also lacks a full explanation of plans to ensure affordable housing.
.