It’s hard to imagine now, but the Government Street project in Mid City Baton Rouge was originally going to be a simple repave-and-fix-the-curb project. When CPEX launched the Government Street Better Block demonstration project in 2013, all that changed. Better Block allowed area residents and businesses to experience a totally different Government Street, reimagined to include shaded sidewalks, bike lanes, vibrant retail and increased safety for people using all modes of travel. The Better Block also demonstrated unprecedented, community-driven partnership CPEX worked closely with the Mayor’s Office and Mid City Redevelopment Alliance, as well as the Walls Project, EBR Redevelopment Authority, EBR Department of Transportation and Drainage, elbow/ room, Mid City Merchants, Stantec, Makaira Design + Build and a host of volunteer residents and businesses to execute the event and create a vision for the future. The economic impact since then has been clear. New businesses have flocked to Government Street in anticipation of the redesign, and neighborhoods like Ogden Park, the Garden District and Bernard Terrace are re-emerging as highly desirable, walkable neighborhoods.