Through her participation in a walkability workshop hosted by CPEX in partnership with Louisiana Well Ahead and the Center for Disease Control, the Mayor of Abbeville identified several improvements to be made as part of an upcoming downtown road project. CPEX worked with the Mayor and other key partners to design and execute a 2-day demonstration project that created temporary installations to model the proposed improvements such as bike lanes, crosswalks, curb bulb outs and a pedestrian plaza around the courthouse, enabling residents and area business owners to visualize and experience the changes and provide input. Community input was then incorporated into the final designs and the improvements have been implemented through the construction associated with the road transfer.

This demonstration project helped launch a master planning process, the first one for the City of Abbeville. Public engagement included walking tours specific to each council district as well as community-wide visioning and design meetings. Abbeville residents identified priorities around revitalizing vacant downtown spaces, increasing housing choices for residents, improving community resilience, and strengthening existing neighborhoods. CPEX worked with Abbeville residents, staff, stakeholders and elected officials to create a vision and guiding principles that reflect the community’s core values. The final plan, Imagine Abbeville, provides near-, mid-, and long-term strategies for realizing this vision as well as implementation guidance to ensure progress begins immediately and is sustainable.