Evolution of a Rural Townscape: Case Study Millen, Georgia

Abstract

Small towns across the rural United States need help to keep up with an increasingly digital economy. Manufacturing and agriculture employ less of these community's populations than ever due to government policy changes, allowing businesses to outsource and technological advances that reduce the number of employees needed to produce a product. Evolution of a Rural Townscape is a case study of Millen, Georgia. The city's population is dwindling due to the need for employment opportunities. A decline in core economic sectors has led many rural cities to similar situations. Millenites are proud of the history of the place and the relationships and friends they have there. Love for a place can be hard to describe; many intangibles make Millen or any town special to its citizens, but what truly defines the place? This project will explore how architecture can embody a town's identity and use it as a brand to return Millen to its former economic status and beyond. This proposal uses Millen's history to begin a placemaking rooted in Millen's history, then prescribes solutions rooted in rural revitalization theories. The resulting architectural catalyst project requires a transformation of Millen's core industry, resolving the city's unfavorable urban conditions and reinventing the city's industrial identity.