[StBernard] Planning Sessions Begin in Lake Charles, with S. Acadiana and Arabi Areas to Follow

[Westley Annis]

Rebuilding Planning Sessions Begin in Lake Charles, with South Acadiana
Corridor and Arabi 
Areas to Follow

Blanco encourages residents to participate in planning sessions across South
Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) will hold its
first rebuilding planning session, or "charrette," in Lake Charles from
February 6 to 11. The charrette is the forum in which Andres Duany, of Duany
Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) Architects and Town Planners, works with local leaders
and citizens to gather input to incorporate into a long-term building plan
for an area. This charrette is one of several opportunities for Louisiana
citizens and community organizations to have an impact on the Louisiana
Speaks planning effort for rebuilding South Louisiana.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for citizens of our state to make
their dreams about their hometowns become a reality. We have the best urban
and rural planning minds at our disposal. I urge everyone to take full
advantage of this chance to help design the future communities of
Louisiana," said Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.

The public is encouraged to attend the opening presentation on Monday,
February 6 at 7 p.m., the pin-up and design review session on Wednesday at
5:30 p.m. and the final closing presentation on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Although these meetings are public input sessions, citizens are encouraged
to attend anytime throughout the six-day charrette to participate between
the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For a more detailed schedule, visit
www.louisianaspeaks.org <"http://www.louisianaspeaks.org">  

These charrettes represent the next phase of the Louisiana Speaks planning
effort, which is a multi-faceted planning process designed to develop a
sustainable long-term vision for South Louisiana in the wake of the
destruction caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In the first phase of
this effort, the LRA partnered with FEMA Long Term Community Recovery (LTCR)
Teams and local officials to develop parish-level recovery plans for 19 of
the most heavily impacted parishes in South Louisiana. These parish recovery
plans will be used to set funding priorities for the recovery effort and
will also be used to form a baseline for the regional vision.

On January 19, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and the LRA introduced the
state's team of world-renowned planners, designers and architects as the
second phase of the Louisiana Speaks planning effort. The planning team will
now begin working with cities and towns across South Louisiana to develop a
long-term regional vision for rebuilding. 

"With input from locals next week, we will plan options for building a
better downtown and areas near downtown Lake Charles," said Andres Duany of
DPZ.

"This is a wonderful gift. Never again will these resources be available to
us. Not only are we engaged in planning how our communities will look, we
are being given an opportunity to chart the course for this area's economic
future," said Lake Charles mayor Randy Roach.

At the conclusion of the charrette in Lake Charles, Duany and his team of
planners will travel east to host a charrette for the residents of the
hurricane-affected Acadiana region. The South Acadiana corridor charrette
will be held from February 13 to 19, at Rip Van Winkle Gardens, 5505 Rip Van
Winkle Road, New Iberia. The public is encouraged to attend the opening
presentation on Monday, February 13 at 7 p.m., the pin-up and design review
session on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and the final closing presentation on
Sunday at 2 p.m. Although these meetings are public input sessions, citizens
are encouraged to attend anytime throughout the seven-day charrette to
participate between the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For a more detailed
schedule, visit www.louisianaspeaks.org <"http://www.louisianaspeaks.org">  

"We are very excited about the opportunity to share our vision for Abbeville
and Vermilion Parish with a group of professionals that can bring our dreams
to the next level. This could really have a significant economic impact in
our area," said Abbeville mayor Mark Piazza.

The DPZ architects and town planners will host a third charrette in Arabi
beginning on March 7. Details on location and times will be announced at a
future date.

For further information on charrettes, visit the website at
www.louisianaspeaks.org 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, destroying more than
200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses and inflicting about $25 billion in
insured losses. 

The LRA is a 26-member body appointed by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
to identify and prioritize short- and long-term needs of the recovery. It
will seek out and value local input as it plans and implements the recovery.


The LRA is supported by the LRA Support Foundation, a private, nonprofit
organization that has raised private funds to secure the current team of
world-renowned planners, designers and architects who are responsible for
developing plans for rebuilding South Louisiana. 

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