The Rowen Foundation announced a partnership with the University of Georgia’s College of Environment and Design to evaluate the physical and cultural assets of the land that will eventually be occupied by Rowen, a knowledge community that will bring together entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators at in Eastern Gwinnett County. This collaboration will ensure the preservation and optimization of the landscape’s historical features during Rowen’s planning phase.

According to Rowen’s leaders, the partnership with the College of Environment and Design is a vital step in caring for the site by achieving a deeper understanding of its natural and cultural history in line with two of the community’s values: stewardship and sustainability.

“As we plan for Rowen, we are committed to evaluating and preserving as many of the land’s historical features as possible,” said Mason Ailstock, president of the Rowen Foundation. “Generations have stewarded this site for agriculture and other uses, and as future caretakers we take our responsibility seriously to deeply understand the history and heritage of the property.”

The Rowen Foundation is coordinating with a team of professors and students from
the College of Environment and Design to analyze the site’s vegetation, topography, spatial organization, land use and archaeological sites. The research provided will supply recommendations for the careful management of the historical features on the 2,000- acre community.

Mark Reinberger, a professor in the College of Environment and Design with more
than 30 years of experience in architecture and historic preservation, will assist with the research.

“Understanding and respecting the historic landscape is relevant to each of Rowen’s three programmatic drivers – environment, medicine and
agriculture – and activating these areas in the most effective ways,” said Reinberger. “Our work will help stories of the past inspire the advancements of the future.”