Great Places in Louisiana Awards Program
UPDATE: Nominations are closed as of March 31st, 2010. Winners will be announced just in time for the awards reception and ceremony at our 2010 Smart Growth Summit. The reception will take place in the Jones-Walker Foyer at the Shaw Center for the Arts from 6:00 to 7:30 PM after summit sessions conclude on Thrusday, August 19th.
Visit the official Smart Growth Summit website to view a sessions schedule and register today!
What is the Awards Program?
The Great Places in Louisiana Awards Program is an opportunity for anyone in Louisiana to nominate and recognize a community (or a community-based organization) they find to be a great livable place. Entries will be accepted until March 31, 2010.
What is a Great Place?
Great places in Louisiana are those vibrant geographically defined communities that have something special going for them, making them great places to live, work, play, and age in place. It can be a place that already exists, or a project in the planning stages. The scale can be a specific development, a neighborhood, a town, or a region. Criteria such as mobility and housing options, as well as access to services and amenities can define what makes a place great. Perhaps it is a neighborhood with an inclusive and effective neighborhood organization, an innovative development including a mix of uses and a range of housing options, or a place with a strong communal anchor—such as a community garden or cultural festival. We are looking to you to let us know what makes your great place great!
Who can participate?
Anyone over 18 years of age can participate by nominating a great place in Louisiana. Nominees can be self-nominated or nominated by someone else.
What is in it for the Great Places Winners?
Communities or organizations (nominees, not nominators) that win in each of the three individual categories will receive $1,500 and the overall grand prize winner will receive $5,000. It will be up to those communities to decide what to do with the money.
All winners will be recognized at the 2010 Louisiana Smart Growth Summit in Baton Rouge, where communities will be showcased during a special reception and during one of the Smart Growth panels. Winning communities will be asked to send a representative to showcase the work being done in the community. Poster and powerpoint presentations will be paid for as well as travel expenses to the summit.
Additional information...
A Livable Community is a place where all people can live healthy and independent lives no matter their age or ability. They are distinguished by great public spaces, a vibrant and engaged citizenry, a diverse mix of housing options, transportation alternatives, and the services to support individuals and families with a wide range of needs.
The Great Places in Louisiana Awards Program is a joint initiative of AARP’s Livable Communities Council (LCC), the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) and the Lt. Governor’s Office. In 2008, the LCC was formed as a statewide coalition of planners, aging advocates, architects, designers and engineers to advance the development of livable communities throughout Louisiana. The Council is committed to disseminating research, guidelines and best practices, identifying and promoting examples of livable communities in Louisiana and advocating for federal, state and local policy that supports sustainable community design.
Categories for award nominations include places with diverse mobility options, opportunities for housing, and access to support services (learn more about the categories on the Nominate page).
Many communities in Louisiana are exploring what it means to be a livable place. All over our state, individuals find when they can no longer drive, they have no way to get around. A broken foot from a weekend sports activity or a more significant and permanent disability can render a home and neighborhood instantly inaccessible. Louisiana is all too often at the bottom of national health statistics because it isn’t safe to walk, jog or bike in most parts of the state.
Louisianans have a choice. We can design and build communities with qualities of life that promote rather than hinder physical activity, convenience, flexibility, and cultural and civic engagement. Or we can maintain the status quo of poor health outcomes and young professionals and environmentally conscious companies choosing more livable communities in which to live, work, and invest. Changing the way we plan, develop and regulate communities requires a new vision and support for innovative and progressive change.
Louisiana has homegrown innovations that support the lifestyles and choices residents need to live high quality lives. The Great Places in Louisiana Awards Program recognizes the communities and local leaders that have pioneered new methods in planning, design, construction, services and programs that make it possible to live in a community throughout a lifetime. The annual awards program invites local communities, neighborhoods or organizations to submit plans, programs, policies or projects that exemplify best practices in housing, mobility, and supportive services. Communities that promote all these elements will be recognized as great places in Louisiana. Though they will range in scope and scale, each of the award winning entries will serve as examples and teaching tools for communities in Louisiana and across the country striving to create livable communities for all generations.
The Great Places in Louisiana Awards Program is a joint initiative of AARP’s Livable Communities Council (LCC), the Lt. Governor’s Office and the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX). In 2008, the LCC was formed as a statewide coalition of planners, aging advocates, architects, landscape architects, designers and engineers to advance the development of livable communities throughout Louisiana. The Council is committed to disseminating research, guidelines and best practices, identifying and promoting examples of livable communities in Louisiana and advocating for federal, state and local policy that supports sustainable community design.
AARP’s LCC members include representatives from: AARP, ARCADIS, Brown + Danos; Capitol Grocery; Centenary College; CPEX; Fenstermaker Engineering; Louisiana Municipal Association; Lt. Governor’s Office; City of Zachary; Mid-City Redevelopment Alliance; St. Charles Parish Planning Office; Swift and Rhoades; Tulane School of Public Health.
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