CONNECT Policy Brief:
One Great Region
To download the brief, visit the CONNECT website >
Baton Rouge (March 4, 2011) - What will it take for greater regional coordination between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in order to develop a truly regional transportation system?
According to “One Great Region,” the first of three policy briefs commissioned by the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX), there are three major factors essential to building a sustainable “super region:”
- Improved connections between the state’s largest metro areas
- Improved transit within the parishes
- Affordable, walkable, transit-oriented communities
“… the devastation of neighborhoods by the hurricanes, volatile gas prices, the foreclosure crisis and the growing population of seniors who need better transportation choices indicate the need for a new approach to transportation and growth in the BR/NO super region,” the brief concludes.
Reconnecting America, a Washington, D.C. based non-profit that focuses on transportation issues, authored the brief to provide CPEX’s CONNECT Coalition, public officials, business and community leaders, and members of the public with an understanding of the benefits of regional coordination, strategies to maximize regional transportation investment, and a framework for moving forward.
According to the brief, the benefits of regional coordination are 1) Reduced traffic congestion and improved access, 2) greater opportunity for regional economic growth, and 3) a unified approach to equity and accessible housing.
The brief also advises that “decisive leadership and an unprecedented level of coordination and investment from the public sector, private sector and the broader community” will be needed to achieve the goal of an effective region.
John Robert Smith, CEO of Reconnecting America and a recognized national expert in transportation issues, told members of the CONNECT Coalition at a meeting in New Orleans this week that the region must take five steps to ensure sustainable regional development:
- Identify champions and key stakeholders
- Conduct education and outreach
- Coordinate planning efforts
- Adopt policies that encourage sustainable development
- Align resources and create a financing strategy
The brief was released to CPEX’s CONNECT Coalition steering committee who met to identify CONNECT’s top policy priorities. Meanwhile, active discussions are underway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans officials about larger infrastructure connections, such as passenger rail.
CPEX will distribute the brief to state and local officials, and the report is available to the public at the CONNECT website.
CPEX President and CEO Boo Thomas said, “CPEX continues to bring new resources, such as this new brief and our recent regional poll, to lay out the roadmap of long-term strategies for our region to pursue. The CONNECT Coalition was created to advance these strategies for expanded mobility choices throughout the New Orleans to Baton Rouge region that offer improved access to affordable homes, job centers and equitable economic opportunity.”
The Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX), with funding from the Surdna Foundation, has commissioned Reconnecting America to draft two more policy briefs. The second brief will further explain how regional connectivity will bolster future economic growth with case studies from regions that are using transit to transform patterns of growth and development at the regional scale. The third brief will present strategies and next steps for advancing a regional transportation and community development vision.
Center for Planning Excellence is a non-profit organization that helps South Louisiana communities define and realize their visions by providing models, tools, and expertise for inclusive planning processes. CPEX helps create highly functional, equitable communities throughout Louisiana that capitalize on their unique qualities through community-driven planning and implementation.
Reconnecting America is a national non-profit that is helping to transform promising ideas into thriving communities – where transportation choices make it easy to get from place to place, where businesses flourish, and where people from all walks of life can afford to live, work and visit.
Other contact information:
John Robert Smith
Reconnecting America
(202) 429-6990
John Renne
University of New Orleans
jrenne@uno.edu
