Sustainability Initiatives

An Invitation to Innovate

Rowen’s design guidelines prioritize the seamless integration of natural elements across its 2,000+ acres, ensuring the preservation of the land’s beauty while fostering innovation and allowing flexibility. From the heart of Rowen Village—a vibrant mixed-use hub that will feature offices, multi-family residential spaces, restaurants, community areas and the arts—nature plays a central role in shaping the environment. Mature landscapes, including 100-year-old oak trees and a stunning native palette of pines and hardwoods, are preserved as defining features, creating a setting that inspires creativity and collaboration. 

The development’s dedicated streets and trail network further demonstrate Rowen’s commitment to sustainable design. These paths connect the community internally and to the world around it while preserving and enhancing the surrounding natural ecosystems. New roads are lined with native species and designed to return stormwater to the ground as fast as possible. By blending modern infrastructure with the beauty of its landscapes, Rowen offers a thoughtfully designed space that reflects its mission of harmonizing progress with preservation. 

Sustainable Development

Rowen’s $32 million Phase 1 roadway and infrastructure project marks a significant milestone in sustainable development for Georgia and the Southeastern U.S. The two-mile multimodal roadway, connecting Rowen to Highway US 316/29, is Georgia’s first officially certified Greenroads Pilot Project. This certification, managed by the independent non-profit Sustainable Transport Council, highlights Rowen’s commitment to sustainability in transportation infrastructure. — highlights Rowen’s commitment to sustainability in transportation infrastructure. 

Notable features include extensive use of native species, innovative stormwater management, reduced lane widths to minimize carbon footprint, and more.  

Pioneering A New Model for the Southeast

Through Rowen’s “Living Lab” projects, we’re advancing our sustainability goals through an ambitious innovation ecosystem. Championing user-driven innovation, Rowen’s living laboratories support the co-creation of solutions that address today’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to transportation to the responsible use of AI. 

Backed by nearly $400,000 in seed funding, these multi-institutional initiatives bring together students, researchers, industry partners and community members to pioneer research methods and develop applied solutions in a real-life context.  

In partnership with UGA’s Georgia Network for Electric Mobility, Rowen is serving as a testbed for electric vehicle technology, autonomous systems and resource recovery. A second initiative, developed with the Emory University Center for AI Learning and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, positions Rowen as a convener for responsible AI development across workforce, healthcare and logistics applications. A third program, led by UGA atmospheric scientist Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, uses the campus to study urban heat islands and assess the effects of early development on air and water quality, generating climate resiliency data with direct applications for development planning across the Southeast. 

Each program is embedded into university coursework, creating a direct bridge between academic research and industry application and promoting a circular economy. 

The Living Lab approach is well-established internationally, with more than 170 labs operating across 40 countries through the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL). Rowen’s platform brings that framework to the Southeast, making our campus one of the most active applied research environments in the region.  

Companies evaluating Rowen can partner directly with its Living Lab platform to pilot emerging technologies at city scale before committing to a site. An existing agreement with both the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and the Technical College System of Georgia makes it easy for researchers to use Rowen as a testbed for new ideas and to partner with companies wanting to change the trajectory of an industry or a community.