Savarnnnah Morning News
Thursday, March 5, 2026
OPINION
Letters
Coastal Georgia's overdevelopment is degrading quality of life
David Kyler, Center for a Sustainable Coast
NEXT year will mark a half-century since I relocated to coastal Georgia. Like many other longtime residents, I am deeply disturbed by overdevelopment that’s degrading our quality of life. Based on wide-ranging conversations over the years, I’m convinced my experience is not uncommon among communities throughout the region.
Despite being diminished, the remnants of our coastal quality-of-life continue to generate profits by attracting still more homebuyers, traffic, commercialization and, increasingly, disruptive industrialization.
As we now face monumental challenges in the second quarter of the 21st century, Georgians and other Americans are suffering the consequences of implicit, obsolete trade-offs that undermine the common good with habitual negligence, manifested in the relentless pursuit of profitable growth.
This negligence largely consists of sacrificing long-term benefits for all – physical health, thriving life-support systems, and rewarding social relationships – to indulge incremental, short-term financial advantages of a few, which – over time – are prone to producing conditions that fragment society, deplete our natural resources, and increase stress.
Viewed holistically, we are experiencing a net loss of the common good, indirectly sanctioned by ill-considered or weakly enforced laws and outdated public policies that accommodate those who seek to concentrate wealth and power.
Our vital human needs, including healthy ecosystems, rewarding lives, and community well-being are threatened by an array of emerging factors. I urge all concerned about these issues to contemplate their causes and consider what can be done to create equitable remedies.
Reducing unwise development will require diligent vigilance and timely actions by citizens and voters. Detachment and complacency will, by default, facilitate the degradation of our region. Therefore, active public involvement in decisions affecting our shared future is vital.
Moreover, although coastal Georgia’s problems are formidable, we must also confront the cumulative hazards mounting in a multitude of trends at the state, national, and global scales. Like it or not, in today’s world we are all global citizens, which presents a host of additional obligations and opportunities.