[StBernard] Louisiana Speaks Hits Grand Slam at State APA Planning Awards

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana Speaks Hits Grand Slam at State APA Planning Awards

BATON ROUGE (September 21, 2007) - The Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) honored Louisiana Speaks with four distinguished awards that were announced at its annual conference in New Orleans today. 

Donna Fraiche, chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority's (LRA) Long Term Community Planning Task Force received the APA's Distinguished Leadership Award for a Citizen Planner for her work with the LRA's planning task force and Louisiana Speaks. The APA also honored the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan with its Current Topic Award. The Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book received the APA's Public Education Award, and the Planning Toolkit received the APA's Outstanding Planning Award for a project, program or tool.

"Louisiana Speaks and local planning efforts empowered Louisianians to speak up about the direction of their communities and the region, making us all citizen planners," Fraiche said. "I am humbled to be honored as part of this effort and I know I speak for the thousands of 'citizen planners' across the state when I say that this hard work should not sit on the shelf gathering dust as an effort in centralized planning. With the continued support of our partners at the APA and the Center for Planning Excellence, I am confident we will see the recommendations of Louisiana Speaks implemented in the years to come."

Louisiana Speaks is a long-term planning initiative of the LRA which was created in the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Spanning parishes from the Texas to Mississippi border-- including the Houma/Thibodaux, New Orleans, North Shore, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, St. Bernard and Plaquemines areas-- the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan provides a broad strategic framework and priorities for land use, transportation, community growth and economic development in South Louisiana.

The Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX), which was created to serve as a resource for residents, community organizations, developers and elected officials to provide information on best practices for planning and urban design, provides primary support and management for the Louisiana Speaks. 

"The Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan is validated by the voices of 27,000 Louisiana citizens. It is a unifying vision that will help guide the way to a safer, stronger, smarter future for generations to come," said Elizabeth "Boo" Thomas, president and CEO of CPEX. "The Louisiana Speaks Planning Toolkit is an invaluable planning resource for communities in the region. It ensures that Louisiana recovers sustainably, grows smarter and thinks regionally."

Planning for the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan was led by a team of top local and national professionals, including Calthorpe Associates, FregoneseCalthorpe Associates, Urban Design Associates, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, ABMB Engineers, Inc., Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, Brown+Danos Landdesign, Inc., Collective Strength, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., PolicyLink, Dr. Robert R. Twilley, and LSU Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Assessment and Restoration (CLEAR). 

The Louisiana Speaks Planning Toolkit is an educational component of Louisiana Speaks. Geared toward individual communities, it is a planning guide for rebuilding across neighborhoods and regions that provides concise, bulleted lists for six key planning issues: landscape and natural systems; flood, wind and storm water management; transportation and utilities infrastructure; sustainability; equity, accessibility and affordability; and development patterns. Created by Urban Design Associates, the Planning Toolkit was funded through the Louisiana Recovery Authority Support Foundation, the Fannie Mae Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A team of local and national planning professionals contributed to the Toolkit, including Urban Design Associates, Brown+Danos landdesign, Concrete Change, Enterprise Community Partners, Karen Levine, Jonathan Rose Companies, Suzanne Turner Associates, University of Buffalo-State University of New Yor! k IDEA Center and Wolfe Design.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's ESF #14 Long Term Planning Division also made major contributions to Louisiana Speaks, including development of a dynamic and interactive web-based planning tool, available online at www.louisianaspeaks-parishplans.org <http://www.louisianaspeaks-parishplans.org> .

Through its annual conference program and other endeavors, the Louisiana Chapter of the APA provides continuing education for certified urban planning professionals and attorneys, educates planning commissioners and other "citizen planners" and promotes planning statewide through its awards program. More than 150 registered delegates and guests are expected to attend this year's conference.

"The American Planning Association has partnered with the Louisiana Recovery Authority and Louisiana Speaks since the early days post-Katrina and Rita," said Stephen D. Villavaso, president of the Louisiana Chapter of the APA. "The Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan represents the highest ideals of planning and sets a new standard for 'best planning practices.' APA is honored to have a role in the development of this historic step in the rebuilding of the State of Louisiana."

Louisiana Speaks is the long-term planning initiative of the Louisiana Recovery Authority that is supported with private funds provided by the LRA Support Foundation. For more information about Louisiana Speaks, visit www.louisianaspeaks.org <http://www.louisianaspeaks.org> .

The non-profit Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX), which was created to serve as a resource for South Louisiana residents, community organizations, developers and elected officials to provide information on best practices for planning and urban design, also provides support and management for the Louisiana Speaks initiative. For more information about Louisiana Speaks, visit www.planningexcellence.org <http://www.planningexcellence.org> .

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. For more information about the LRA, visit lra.louisiana.gov.


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