Each community in Louisiana

made extraordinary through planning excellence.

Center for Planning Excellence will educate and engage

Louisiana communities on the best planning practices to build

upon our unique traditions. CPEX will guide communities

toward their visions by providing models, tools and expertise

for inclusive planning practices.!

CPEX Vision

9

• Statewide Coordination

• East Baton Rouge Parish Planning Support

• Baton Rouge Neighborhoods Revitalization

• Coastal Planning and Implementation

• Transit and Housing Regional Outreach

Project Areas

Louisiana Speaks

Transit Initiative

•! Ford Foundation grant to develop outreach campaign!

•! Louisiana Speaks identified NOLA/BR rail as top priority !

•! Build on local and national momentum around transit !

•! Identify dedicated funding source to sustain connector rail!

•! Educate the NOLA/BR region on benefits of rail!

•! Consultants hired: Fieldworks!

2

Political Landscape

•! Capitol Region Legislative

Delegation supportive!

•! Mayors in Baton Rouge

and New Orleans

supportive!

•! Governor previously

rejected stimulus funding

opportunity !

•! Parish presidents along

corridor must be engaged!

•! DOTD Secretary recently

resigned !

Partners

3

Local and Regional Organizations:

Capitol Region Legislative Delegation"

Super Regional Commission"

Metro Area Foundations"

Metro Area Economic Development

!Organizations "

Louisiana Association of Non-Profits"

Louisiana Housing Alliance"

Louisiana Recovery Authority "

Louisiana DOTD"

University of New Orleans"

Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation"

Urban League of Greater New Orleans!

AARP!

National Organizations:!

Senator Mary Landrieu's Office "

Smart Growth America"

Transportation for America"

Reconnecting America"

Policy Link !

Current State of Transit

•! Three cities have transit

systems with at least 2 million

annual boardings !

•! 7 Amtrak stations in the state!

•! New Orleans Streetcar

TIGER grant!

•! Public transportation in the

state lags behind!

•! Highway funding prioritized!

•! No defined transit policy at

state level !

The Region

•! Rail is regional spine, need to create supporting

ribs !

•! Encourage focused growth and development not

only in metros, but along corridor!

4

Themes and Goals

Goal:

Establish a

base !

Goal:

Pursue transit

funding

opportunities!

Transit and Housing Task Force!

5

Knowledge Base

•! Assemble best practices, studies and expertise !

•! Engage stakeholders and promote transit

investment!

•! Create groundswell of transit advocates!

Goal:

Establish a

base !

Objectives"

6

Transit Funding

•! Identify funding mechanism(s) for

sustainable transit investment!

•! Create policy memo!

•! Develop campaign strategy to

enact policy!

•! Fund a regional plan with a focus

on transit and housing !

Goal:

Pursue

!

Objectives"

7

Message and Outreach

•! Through our grant from the Ford Foundation we’re charged with promoting

the benefits of housing, workforce and economic development. !

•! Planning a educational curriculum to recruit and educate possible champions

along the corridor on transit benefits, modeled off of Denver’s Transit Alliance

Citizen’s Academy!

•! Poll by the NAR will highlight best course forward for public messaging !

Messaging promoting economic development will make the

strongest case for rail along this corridor.

Strategy

2-3 months 1 Year

Best Practices!

Goal:

Establish a

base !

3-10 months

Create Messaging !

Research Policy !

Meet with Agencies !

Fund Research !

Align Stakeholders!

Monitor Rail Stimulus

Funds!

HUD Sustainable

Communities Grant!

Local Financial

Assessment!

Complete Transit

Plan for the Region!

•! We’ve currently identified various benchmarks to be accomplished in the above

time periods which will contribute to our overall goal of establishing a

knowledge base. !

Strategy

2-3 months 1 Year

Funding Matrix!

3-10 months

Policy White Paper !

Research Policy !

Poll Region !

Fund Research !

Draft Power Map!

Draft Campaign Plan!Identify Sustainable

Funding Base!

Goal: Pursue

transit

funding

opportunities!

Create Transit Plan

for the State!

Elected Officials

Education Workshop!

Campaign Structure

Task !

Force !

Political

Champions!

Steering Committee !

•! Want to reach out to grasstops and form a unified voice !

•! Looking at reaching out to elected officials and recruiting champions!

•! Still building our coalition of economic, housing, equity and transit

organizations

Police Juries ! !MPO’s!

Parish Presidents !Universities!

Councils ! ! !Mayors !

Environmental Organziations!

Development Community !

Existing Rail Entities!

Thank You!