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Louisiana
Editorial Says S.G. Principles, Regional Coordination Will Be Controversial Points in Louisiana Speaks Plan
It melds ideas from post-hurricane charrettes, local and state agencies, and massive public input, but much of the long-term Louisiana Speaks plan, worked out by national experts for coastal Louisiana, still will be controversial, predicts a Baton Rouge Advocate editorial, both because it embraces ''the smart growth principles that would refashion over time many of the traditional development patterns that have resulted in sprawling subdivisions in vulnerable floodplains,'' and because it asks government and civic leaders for better coordination of their planning and spending.
Commissioned by the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA), this new comprehensive ''land-use, transportation and economic development plan for the hurricane-affected regions,'' the editorial points out, ''emphasizes a simple point: We're all in this together,'' regardless of local economic, cultural and physical characteristics.
Although the plan admits that coastal living may be risky, the editorial agrees with LRA board member Donna Fraiche, who said, ''We don't need to be fatalistic about these risks. We have to be smart.''
Consequently, she called for immediate action to create a seamless regional transportation system and land use patterns that turn development into smart growth.
Noting that one of the plan's key goals is transit, including a light-rail line between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which would offer an alternative to 80-mile I-10 gridlock, the editorial quotes lead planner Peter Calthorpe.
The plan, he said, presents ''a balanced strategy that puts roads and transit together,'' and its call for close cooperation among the coastal communities means that ''the future should be by design, not by default.'' -- Advocate 5/9/2007
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