[StBernard] Louisiana Speaks Documentary Wins Emmy

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana Speaks Documentary Wins Emmy

'Our Voice, Our Plan, Our Future' Receives Service Program Award at 2007 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards

BATON ROUGE, La. (December 4, 2007) - Louisiana Speaks reeled in another honor this weekend when the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded the hour-long documentary "Louisiana Speaks: Our Voice, Our Plan, Our Future," produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), an Emmy award for Service Programming at its annual awards ceremony in Florida.

Public television stations across Louisiana, Georgia and Texas broadcast the documentary "Our Voice, Our Plan, Our Future," which was hosted by Louisiana-born actress, Lynn Whitfield, during the months of January and February. It is also available online at louisianaspeaks.org.

The program, which was made possible in part by a generous grant from the Fannie Mae Foundation, informed viewers about a range of issues, including community growth, transportation, coastal protection and economic development. Production for the program was led by LPB producer! Alfonso Godoy. Writing and technical assistance was provided by the Louisiana Recovery Authority, Center for Planning Excellence, FregoneseCalthorpe Associates and the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA).

The documentary was one arm of the major public outreach campaign to engage citizens across South Louisiana on their views about the region's future. The unprecedented response to this outreach campaign included more than 27,000 Louisianans voicing their opinions, which formed the basis of the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan.

"It is a thrilling affirmation that Louisiana Speaks has been honored with an Emmy as an outstanding service program. This documentary gave citizens the information and perspectives they needed to shape a vision for Louisiana's recovery and future," said Donna Fraiche, chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority's (LRA) Long-Term Community Planning Task Force. "Tens of thousands of Louisiana citizens across ! the state and nation relied on this piece for an unprecedented plannin g opportunity. We thank all who contributed not only to this documentary, but to a robust regional plan that gives Louisiana a hopeful safer and stronger future. We are especially grateful to LPB for its commitment to public outreach, which helped make this historic plan possible."

Louisiana Speaks, a long-term planning initiative of the LRA, 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.

"LPB is very proud to receive this honor," LPB President and CEO Beth Courtney said. "This was truly a team effort by our staff and the people involved with the Louisiana Sp! eaks project and I want to congratulate everyone who contributed their talents to make this project possible. 

To view the documentary, click here <http://www.louisianaspeaks.org/video.html> .

Louisiana Speaks' Emmy award is the latest in a series of honors. In September, the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association awarded the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan with its "Current Topic Award," the Louisiana Speaks Planning Toolkit with its "Outstanding Planning Award" for a project, program or tool and the Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book with its "Public Education Award." 

In May, the Congress for New Urbanism also awarded the Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book its 2007 Charter Award, an annual prize honoring projects around the world that promote walkable, neighborhood dev! elopment as an alternative to urban sprawl. And in March, editors of t he online planning network, Planetizen.com, named www.louisianaspeaks.org <http://www.louisianaspeaks.org>  as one of the top ten best planning, design and development Web sites in the country. 
The Web site is managed by the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) and powered by KnowledgePlex due to a generous grant from the Fannie Mae Foundation. 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.

""Our Voice, Our Plan, Our Future.' is a great example of the spirit of collaboration that defines Louisiana Speaks," said Elizabeth "Boo" Thomas, president and CEO of the Center for Pl! anning Excellence, which provides support to Louisiana Speaks. "The entire initiative is based in a public-private partnership and is almost entirely funded by donations. This recognition gives us encouragement to seek even more creative solutions to the complex issues we face in South Louisiana today."

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

Planning for Louisiana Speaks was led by a team of top local and national professional which includes: Calthorpe Associates, FregoneseCalthorpe Associates! , Urban Design Associates, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, ABMB Eng ineers, 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 Assesment and Restoration (CLEAR). 

"Louisiana Speaks: Our Voice, Our Vision, Our Plan" was one of three nominees in the Service Program category. The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is a nonprofit Florida corporation dedicated to excellence in television. It offers annual Emmy Awards called The Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards to television markets in the entire State of Florida, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana, Mobile, Alabama, Thomasville, Georgia and Puerto Rico. For more information and to see a full list of winners, visit http://suncoast.emmyonline.org <http://suncoast.emmyonline.org> .

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> .

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