[StBernard] Louisiana Speaks May E-letter

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Tue Jun 3 23:11:53 EDT 2008


Louisiana Speaks News, Actions & Updates for May 2008

A Blueprint for Success?
Louisiana Speaks staff recently met with representatives of Blueprint
Louisiana to discuss increasing coordination between Blueprint and Louisiana
Speaks. The discussion centered on how Louisiana Speaks and Blueprint could
better coordinate efforts in the future, including partnering on the
development of Blueprint's 2009 legislative agenda, which is scheduled to
take place later this summer. Learn more about Blueprint Louisiana
<http:\\www.blueprintlouisiana.org\> .

Smart Growth Summit set for August
Are Louisiana communities building in a way that will work for the future?
This questions and many others will be addressed at "Livable Louisiana: A
Summit on Smart Growth," August 14-15 in the Manship Theatre at the Shaw
Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge. The Summit will feature two days of
nationally recognized experts presenting on topics such as green building,
the relationship between public health and planning, innovative
transportation solutions, and how to build safer, more pedestrian-friendly
communities. There will be an update on the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan
priorities on the first day of the conference. The Summit is presented by
the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX), a non-profit urban and rural
planning organization that serves Louisiana communities. It is free and open
to the public, but seating is limited and registration is required.
Participants can register by emailing summit at c-pex.org, or calling CPEX at
225-267-6300. For more information, visit the official Summit Web site
<http:\\www.planningexcellence.org\spotlight-content\livable-louisiana-a-sum
mit-on-smart-growth.html> .

Planning for Better Health
Louisiana Speaks staff met with Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals
(DHH) staff in order to introduce them to Louisiana Speaks and to explore
the possibility of developing a partnership. The meeting focused on the
relationship between community design, green building, and planning and
public health and there was also discussion of two important DHH programs:
the Louisiana Obesity Council and the Asthma Collaborative. To find out more
about these programs, click here. To learn more about the connection
between planning and public health, visit the Smart Growth America Web site
<http:\\www.smartgrowthamerica.org\health.html> .

Louisiana Speaks Video Now Online
Don't forget: A new, 15-minute video about the Louisiana Speaks 2008
priorities can now be viewed on the Louisiana Speaks homepage.
<http:\\louisianaspeaks.org\mmedia\tw.html> The video features interviews,
insights and information related to the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan and
how it is being turned into action. The video is also available at YouTube,
where you can leave comments or share it with friends
<http:\\www.youtube.com\watch%3Fv%3DL76dAQNI_LY> .

News & Notes
A new tool is being distributed to assist residents and property owners
working to revitalize the historic Old South Baton Rouge neighborhood
located between downtown and the Louisiana State University campus: The Old
South Baton Rouge Pattern Book. The book contains illustrations, information
and techniques that can be applied to home restoration projects in almost
any community. It is patterned (no pun intended) after the Louisiana Speaks
Pattern Book, which contains patterns and techniques for building housing,
neighborhoods, and towns that remain true to the values and traditions of
the people of Louisiana. Find out more about Old South Baton Rouge Pattern
Book
<http:\\www.planningexcellence.org\spotlight-content\old-south-baton-rouge-p
attern-book-released.html> , or check out the Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book
<http://www.louisianaspeaks.org/static.html?id=39> .

Did You Know?
Research shows that residents of more sprawling areas are at greater risk of
dying in a car crash. In the nation's most sprawling region, Riverside CA,
18 of every 100,000 residents die each year in traffic crashes, while the
eight least sprawling metro areas all have traffic fatality rates of fewer
than 8 deaths per 100,000.*

* Statistics provided by Smart Growth America





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