Louisiana Speaks
Encyclopedia
About
Published in May 2007, the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan is a plan set to guide the state of LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and its citizens on a "bold new course" through the state's recovery from Hurricanes Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
and "into a safer, stronger, smarter future."
In the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Louisiana Speaks initiative works toward the development of a sustainable, long-term vision for South Louisiana. This initiative included the creation and promotion of the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan, first published in May 2007. The plan represents 18 months of work facilitated by some of the top planners in Louisiana and the United States, built upon and validated by the voices of 27,000 Louisianans. The plan combined the efforts of local, state and federal partners along with many experts, stakeholders and citizens into a comprehensive approach in order to guide recovery and growth in the state of Louisiana over the next 50 years. The Regional Plan includes more than 100 action items, supporting three broad goals: Recover Sustainably, Grow Smarter, and Think Regionally.
History
Louisiana Speaks,the a long-term planning initiative behind the Regional Plan,was funded by private donations to the LRA Support Foundation, created by the Baton Rouge Area FoundationBaton Rouge Area Foundation
Baton Rouge Area Foundation is a community foundation dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Louisiana's capital region, and is registered with the IRS as a 501 tax-deductible nonprofit organization...
. The Center for Planning Excellence
Center for Planning Excellence
The Center for Planning Excellence is a non-profit organization based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that coordinates urban and rural planning efforts in South Louisiana, working in close cooperation with local governments and councils of governments...
(CPEX), a non-profit planning organization, managed the creation of the plan in cooperation with the Louisiana Recovery Authority
Louisiana Recovery Authority
The Louisiana Recovery Authority is the governmental body created in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita by Governor Kathleen Blanco to plan for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana...
(LRA).
The Process
The Louisiana Speaks process included:- Planning for individual homeowners and businesses through the development of a Pattern Book for residential and commercial architecture, and development of a guide to planning, the Toolkit, which is led by Urban Design Associates;
- Planning for neighborhoods through local design charrettes, which were led by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company;
- Parish-level planning supported by Long-Term Community Recovery Teams, which were coordinated through the LRA and the US Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA); - And long term 25-50 year regional plan for South Louisiana led by Calthorpe Associates.