www.cpex.org

Fifteen years of helping Louisiana communities grow safer, stronger and smarter—and we are just getting started.

Cordell Haymon, ChairSenior Vice-President, SGS Petroleum Service Corp

Randy Roussel, TreasurerPartner, Phelps Dunbar LLP

Derek Gordon, SecretaryPresident and CEO, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge

Yolanda DixonFirst Assistant Secretary of the Senate, Louisiana State Senate Donna FraicheShareholder, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C.

Raymond A. JetsonPastor, Star Hill Church

Adam KnappPresident and CEO, Baton Rouge Area Chamber

Ben MarmandeMarket President, Iberia Bank

Nancy C. McPhersonSenior State Director, AARP

Jay NolandAttorney, Real Estate Developer, Noland Development, L.L.C.

John SpainExecutive Vice President, Baton Rouge Area Foundation

CPEX Board

For most of my career as a practicing lawyer and a corporate CEO, I was not especially aware of how planning, or the lack thereof, affects the quality of life and the social and economic health of a community. My understanding of the critical role of planning began to develop after hearing a series of lectures sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Shortly thereafter, I chaired a committee which organized a public planning process called Plan Baton Rouge. Its focus was the revitalization of our downtown, and I am pleased with the improvements that have flowed from that effort.

As important as the rebirth of downtown was, I saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate to our community the benefits of proactive planning. I realized that many of the problems faced by our community and others were the direct result of a lack of good planning in the past. I also learned that these issues were not unique to Baton Rouge or to Louisiana, but were being recognized and addressed by communities across the country.

The sprawl model of growth which has prevailed in our area and in much of America has been enabled and encouraged by a variety of public policies that have had adverse unintended consequences. The unsustainability of this model is showing up in traffic congestion, air quality issues, crumbling infrastructure, and a lack of sufficient resources to provide such essential services as quality public education and a workable transit system.

From the Chair

The effort known as Plan Baton Rouge evolved into Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) following the hurricanes of 2005. Our first priority was the creation of a long-term vision and plan for South Louisiana. This was developed with the involvement of leading national planners and over 27,000 Louisiana citizens. The resulting plan known as Louisiana Speaks, which won CPEX the 2009 Olmsted Medal, is providing a blueprint for the steps we must take to build safer, stronger and smarter in the future.

Since 2006, CPEX has received federal grants that have enabled us to assist 14 Louisiana communities to create new land use and transportation plans. Baton Rouge has now developed a visionary comprehensive plan for its future, but it will take years of work by CPEX and partners to implement the plan and realize its benefits.

With the disappearance of the federal grants that have enabled our work in the past, we are evolving into a member-supported planning organization. I believe that CPEX fills a unique and critically important role to advocate and enable good planning in communities across our state. Such planning will enable Louisiana to begin making the best use of limited financial resources and will be key in positioning our state as an economic competitor in the global economy.

If you believe as I do that good planning is critical to our future success, I hope you will consider becoming a member of CPEX, thus enabling us to continue this important work.

Cordell Haymon, Chairman of the Board

Top HonorsIn 2009, CPEX won the American Society of Landscape Architect’s Olmsted Medal for Louisiana Speaks, an honor shared with the likes of the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Mayor Richard M. Daly of Chicago, and President Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn Carter.

personal impactsin our neighborhoods

investing in CPEX means

investing in

Revitalization [Planning]Today, downtown Baton Rouge thrives. Thanks to strategic

recommendations from Plan Baton Rouge, the hub of the

capital city hosts 4,000 residents and 23,000 workers, plus a

wealth of new restaurants, venues and museums.

Two billion dollars

of public and private investment in

downtown since Plan Baton Rouge

Community Greening [Implementation]CPEX’s GROW Sunflower Project has turned vacant properties

in OSBR into sunflower havens, treating soil, beautifying

eyesores and providing activities for youth at the same time.

20 pounds

of sunflower seeds planted on vacant

lots in Old South Baton Rouge (OSBR)

Community Building [Implementation]Working with the LSU School of Architecture and Baton

Rouge Community College, CPEX is building a solar-powered

pavilion as an outdoor learning space for OSBR youth at the

Baranco Clark YMCA.

1.6 million dollarsinvested to enhance small businesses, bring owner-occupied

homes up to standards, and green OSBR through plantings,

community gardens and a state-of-the art outdoor learning space

21PLAN BATON ROUGE PHASE II: Master Plan Update and Economic Strategic Plan

grounds of the River Center and City Hall Plaza are largely paved, with little respite from the sun. Numerous barriers limit use of, or movement through these spaces--from fences and planters to walls and stairs. Removing these barriers, adding trees, and knitting the park together with generous paths will create a “Central Green” for Baton Rouge residents: a gracious setting in which to spend an afternoon or evening—one surrounded by a variety of cultural destinations.

Capitol Park West. The magnificent State Capitol grounds, designed for viewing and strolling, could accommodate greater use. Linking the grounds to the Levee Promenade and an improved DeSoto Park would draw more people to the capitol grounds. Extending the Levee Promenade through DeSoto Park, across

Images of the different green areas in downtownGreen Areas in Downtown

Birds Eye View of the overall greening proposal

Old State Capitol Grounds

Arsenal Museum and Park

Plaza in front of Shaw Center for the Arts

Pentagon Barracks and DeSoto Park

State Capitol Park Grounds

CRITICAL THEMES AND INITIATIVES

River Road, and on to the formal State Capitol grounds will create a second new park: Capitol Park West, a system of green spaces worthy of a state capitol.

A Core to be Proud Of

[Planning]The ideas laid out in

Plan Baton Rouge Phases I and II have yielded

hotels, cafés, restaurants, a market, residential and office developments and innovative

public-private partnerships all based on a unified vision

for a connected, greener and more active city center.

Reinvestment[Planning]

The OSBR comprehensive plan laid a vision for revitalizing

the historical community between LSU and downtown

Baton Rouge, and it has driven years of CPEX’s tangible

implementation work.

Engaged Community Members[Implementation]

Gardens in OSBR serve not only as local sources of healthy food, but also as places for community members

to congregate and be active, and for neighborhood leaders like Master Gardener Marva Coleman to emerge.

1.6 million dollarsinvested to enhance small businesses, bring owner-occupied

homes up to standards, and green OSBR through plantings,

community gardens and a state-of-the art outdoor learning space

Louisiana residents deserve strong, vibrant communities.

We deserve to have attractive, safe and walkable neighborhoods. Most importantly, we deserve the security that we are building safer, stronger and smarter than ever before, especially in the face of

natural and manmade disasters and economic instability.

The fundamental first step for every community is to develop a vision for growth through stakeholder participation and public collaboration.

CPEX has operated by these standards throughout its existence, and our work is never finished...

CPEX Core Practices:

Tools and Resources

Outreach and Education

Planning and Implementation

(nurturing a culture of sustainable growth and smart investment)

(offering technical expertise where the rubber meets the road)

(creating knowledge for all to use)

a brighter future for Louisiana

investing in CPEX means

investing in

long-term impactsstatewide

Capitalizing on Assets [Planning]Through Louisiana Speaks, CPEX helped Lake Charles create

a vision for their downtown. Mayor Randy Roach has since

realized that vision, attracting businesses and enhancing

public spaces such as this marina and promenade.

14 communities

have created comprehensive plans with assistance from CPEX

monsoursphotography.com

Vital Connections [Outreach]CPEX’s CONNECT Coalition is uniting New Orleans and Baton

Rouge in unprecedented ways to foster smart transportation

investments that connect the places people live to the

places people work—throughout the super region.

75% in support of rail

connecting passengers between Baton Rouge and New Orleans

according to a regional poll conducted by the CONNECT Coalition

Coastal Resiliency [Resources]Coastal communities at risk of natural and man-made

water-related disasters now have a free resource for

building safer and smarter, thanks to CPEX’s Best Practices Manual for Development in Coastal Louisiana.

Zero taxpayer dollarsneeded for communities to access the Best Practices Manual for

Development in Coastal Communities, which in turn can save

millions of dollars and thousands of lives

Information[Outreach]

The Louisiana Smart Growth Summit keeps

Louisiana citizens, planning practitioners, developers and elected

officials on the cutting edge of community development.

Bold Leadership [Planning]

Mayor Murphy McMillin of Jena, shown here on land acquired for a future school

close to his town’s core, worked with CPEX on a

plan that leveraged assets and preserved the local qualities his community holds dear. To date,

Jena has completed or started work on 20 implementation

projects from the plan.

Predictability[Resources]

CPEX’s Louisiana Land Use Toolkit is a free, customizable

resource that helps communitiescreate clear development standards.

CPEX was initially formed with generous funding from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and subsequently through significant federal grant dollars. Unfortunately, in today’s constrained economy we can no longer rely on these funding streams. For the first time, CPEX is seeking individual donations in the form of membership—we are asking you to play a critical role in keeping our indispensable work alive.

Our unique position as a non-political, non-profit organization allows us to be true advocates for the public good, and Louisiana cannot afford to lose such an asset.

It is our job to see that our communities are well-prepared for future impacts, that our culture endures and that our children are proud to call this place home. Join our cause today at cpex.org/membership.

Foundation* Receive our weekly Planning in the News newsletter, an annual report, two Smart Growth Summit registrations and an invitation to our Annual Reception.

Foundation Level One $250

Foundation Level Two $500

Foundation Level Three $1,000

Leadership Receive an invitation to a pre-keynote event at our Annual Reception, six total Smart Growth Summit registrations, an invitation to an event with a renowned planning specialist and all the benefits of the Foundation levels.

Leadership Level One $2,500

Leadership Level Two $5,000

Vision Receive a CPEX presentation by request, a tour of a CPEX community by request, ten total Smart Growth Summit registrations and all the benefits of the Leadership levels.

Vision Level One $10,000

Vision Level Two $25,000

*Foundation Level One is available to students and professionals under the age of 35 for $100

membership levels (annual basis)

membersF O U N D A T I O N

membersL E A D E R S H I P

V I S I O Nmembers

Visit us on the web

cpex.org

facebook.com/centerforplanningexcellence

twitter.com/cpex_la

vimeo.com/cpex

100 Lafayette Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

T 225.267.6300

F 225.267.6306

www.cpex.org