Better Block BR - Perkins Overpass photos

Thanks to everyone who biked, walked, ran, drove, or cartwheeled over to the Perkins Overpass on April 23-24! To see photos of the event, please like our Facebook page. Click the photo to view the full album.

You can keep up with Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) on Facebook to stay tuned on similar events around Baton Rouge and throughout Louisiana.

Coming this weekend! Improvements are underway!

Volunteer Cleanup Day at the Overpass, Saturday 4/16

More than 100 local volunteers from across Baton Rouge turned out in force Saturday morning, April 16, picking up trash, mowing grass, and removing brush around the Perkins Overpass area, in preparation for the upcoming weekend's Better Block demonstration.

More than 60 student volunteers from LSU’s city-wide “GEAUX Big” volunteer day were joined by members of Varsity Sports’ Running Club, City Year Baton Rouge, Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS, residents of the adjacent Poets Corner neighborhood, and other community volunteers, totaling more than 100 Baton Rouge residents.

In addition to cleaning up the area visible from the road, the “underpass” area beneath I-10, which was home to discarded furniture, trash, and overgrown vegetation, got a major facelift. Making this area accessible and safe for pedestrian and bike traffic was of particular interest to area neighbors and road users alike, who do not feel safe accessing Perkins Road via the Overpass itself.

Here are some photos of the volunteers in action, and some before and after shots of their handiwork in the Underpass.

Join us Saturday and Sunday, April 23rd and 24th to see their results, interact with the Better Block demonstration, and leave your feedback!

Perkins Overpass Better Block map now available!

Click here to view the proposed demonstrations and upcoming improvements you will see during the Better Block BR project April 23-24.

We look forward to seeing you then!

Announcing Better Block BR: Perkins Overpass

Better Block BR: Government Street, 2013

Hosts of Better Block BR Perkins Overpass, a two-day demonstration project that will transform two blocks of  Perkins Road into a more pedestrian-friendly destination, including landscaping, parking, crosswalks, interactive artwork, and a pop-up park created by BREC, invite the public to experience the improvements and give their feedback. The event will take place on April 23 and 24, 2016, with activities planned throughout the weekend.

Hosted by the Office of the Mayor-President, City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, the city-parish Department of Transportation and Drainage, Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS®, and Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX), Better Block BR Perkins Overpass is a way to test ideas for multi-modal transportation infrastructure and business access.

Perkins Road was identified in the FutureBR Comprehensive Plan for East Baton Rouge Parish as one of the first corridors that should apply a Complete Streets approach, which encourages streets designed for all users and all kinds of transportation. The installation will take place on Perkins Road between Christian Street and Ferndale Avenue.

“We are excited to build on the momentum from our previous Better Block   demonstration and model these and other concepts in the Perkins Overpass area,” said Stephen Bonnette, Director of the Department of Transportation and Drainage. “Demonstrations like the Better Block allow us to really gauge priority projects and provide proper emphasis for future transportation improvements in line with Mayor Holden’s vision for Baton Rouge, by seeing them in action. Beyond modeling Complete Street concepts for the public, Better Block projects provide invaluable community feedback so that we can see which elements work that we can use to shape our planning, engineering and construction decisions going forward.”

The Overpass area is already a popular destination for Baton Rougeans. However, as many Better Block events around the country have shown, including the 2013 Better Block demonstration here in Baton Rouge, improving safety and access for all kinds of transportation can increase the "Better Block BR will be a chance to try out on-street parking, comfortable gathering spaces, pedestrian crossings and other Complete Streets elements, while adding space for businesses," said Camille Manning-Broome, Senior Vice President at CPEX. "By improving infrastructure for other modes of transportation, you are introducing new customers to local businesses, you are creating a safer experience by creating defined areas for vehicles and other users, and you are giving people the option to get out of their cars to interact with their neighborhood and local retailers.”

Preliminary meetings with nearby residents and merchants helped shape the demonstration design, and the public will have various opportunities to give feedback on what works best. People can see the ideas in action by walking, biking, or driving through the area and participating in events over the weekend. Area businesses are invited to extend their business out the front door, host events, or just enjoy the increased patronage.

“Supporting this project is a perfect fit for our membership,” said Herb Gomez, Executive Vice President of the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS®. “Quality streets and public spaces play an important role in the strength of a neighborhood, and strong neighborhoods benefit everyone, including residents and businesspeople.” Volunteer and financial support for the Better Block BR Perkins Overpass demonstrations are being provided by the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS®, the National Association of REALTORS®, and the Credit Bureau of Baton Rouge Foundation,. The growing list of partners helping create the demonstrations include Baton Rouge Gallery, BREC, the BR Walls Project, elbow/room, LSU’s Geaux BIG Volunteer effort, Mid City Redevelopment Alliance, and Varsity Sports.

Safe Streets Act

This is a great article from Grist about the Safe Streets Act recently introduced in the Senate. Making streets safe for all users is a good idea, whether you're urban or rural, Republican or Democrat!

http://grist.org/cities/people-friendly-streets-theyre-not-just-for-big-cities-anymore/

Safe places for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles at Better Block BR, April 2013.

Better Block BR Video

Better Block BR is excited to present our wrap-up video!

Better Block BR Report

We've been working over the past several months to maintain the momentum of Better Block BR, and have created a wrap-up report showing the progress made. The report details how demonstrations like Better Block BR prove that transportation improvements can connect neighborhoods with downtown, and strategic public investment can be a catalyst for revitalization. Click below to download the report in PDF.

Pictures from Better Block BR

Saturday, April 13, 2013 was a great day for Baton Rouge--check out a few of the images from Better Block BR below!

Sunday's BBBR Activities Cancelled

Due to the bad weather, the Mayor's Office of the City of Baton Rouge – Parish of East Baton Rouge, Center for Planning Excellence, the Mid City Redevelopment Alliance, and the entire Better Block BR team has decided to cancel Better Block BR for today, Sunday, April 14, 2013. 

Volunteers are at the Better Block BR site at this morning to take everything down and clean up. 

The event was a great success on Saturday seeing thousands of participants of all ages and abilities, a variety of activities and business experiments, and something impossible to quantify: intense hope and excitement on behalf of the community.

Unfortunately today, the bike paths have washed away, the greens spaces are filled with puddles and this outdoor event is not possible with more rain forecast throughout the day. All organizers want to thank the volunteers, participants, media and everyone else for helping make history in Baton Rouge.

To continue to participate in the conversation, please follow betterblockbr.org, facebook.com/betterblockbr, and twitter.com/betterblockbr.

Better Block BR is this weekend!

This map shows the layout of this weekend's events. Better Block BR will be held from 10 am to 5 pm both Saturday April 13 and Sunday, April 14.

• We encourage you to travel to Better Block BR by foot or bike, if possible. There will be bike racks at Radio Bar and Catholic High practice field. 
• Parking is available at Baton Rouge Magnet High School and in the Westmoreland Shopping Center parking lot. Please enter Westmoreland Shopping Center off of Acadian behind CVS. 

Please join our Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/239043852902899/. We hope to see you there!

Better Block BR Work Day this Saturday, April 6

We need volunteers to help improve the Better Block BR site this Saturday, April 6, 2013! From 8 am to 4 pm, we will be cleaning, picking up trash, doing yardwork, prepping buildings for painting, and other tasks to make the site look its best. We will meet in the parking lot between Westmoreland Shopping Center and CVS on Government Street. Please join us, and don't forget your work clothes and sunscreen!

If you can attend, please join our event on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/439854582766456/

Better Block BR featured in The Advocate!

The Advocate featured Better Block BR on the front page of their Sunday Business section. Check it out at the link below to see a summary of what we're doing on the weekend of the event as well as how we hope it will change Government Street in the future!

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/5561068-123/building-blocks

Volunteer Open House TONIGHT, Tuesday, March 19

Tonight, March 19, 2013, Better Block BR is having our second and final Volunteer Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. at La Carreta on Government Street! Refreshments will be served.

BBBR volunteers will help procure, build, clean and set up exterior and interior elements that are designed to improve the aesthetic of Government Street between Bedford Drive and Beverly Drive. They can also promote the event and help visitors get information or find their way around.

At the open house, volunteers can sign up for a team, meet other team members and their team leader, and learn more about what they'll be doing to help us gear up for the Better Block BR event. 

This is our final Volunteer Open House--after tonight, we will have weekly work days, or "meet-ups," to prepare for the event.  

If you have not yet registered to volunteer, we encourage you to fill out our online volunteer form and join Better Block BR! We hope to see you tonight! 

Four Inspiring Articles

We are always looking for inspiration for the Better Block BR project, and we often find it on The Atlantic Cities. Below are four articles that made us think a little differently about our public spaces and what we can do to improve them!

Turn Scaffolding Into a Cozy Seating Area

Want to Show People the Benefits of Transit? Build a Pretend Train Station

Fill That Vacant Parking Space With a Rent-a-Tree

The Power of the Movable Chair

Volunteer Open House Thursday, March 7

This Thursday March 7, 2013, Better Block BR is having our first Volunteer Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. at La Carreta on Government Street! Refreshments will be served.

BBBR volunteers will help procure, build, clean and set up exterior and interior elements that are designed to improve the aesthetic of Government Street between Bedford Drive and Beverly Drive. They can also promote the event and help visitors get information or find their way around.

At the open house, volunteers can sign up for a team, meet other team members and their team leader (or become a team leader!), and learn more about what they'll be doing to help us gear up for the Better Block BR event. 

We will also be having another Volunteer Open House at La Carreta on Tuesday, March 19, as well as weekly meet-ups and work days as we get closer to the event.  

If you have not yet registered to volunteer, we encourage you to fill out our online volunteer form and join Better Block BR! We hope to see you Thursday!

BBBR Open House a Big Hit!

 

What a great meeting we had on February 19th! Over 200 community members showed up for our open house to learn about Better Block BR, give their thoughts in our visual preference surveys, write their thoughts on post-it notes, and proclaim their "big ideas" for the neighborhood on the Neighborland-provided stickers shown in the photo above.

We recruited lots of volunteers and vendors, so we are more excited than ever about Better Block BR's chances for being a huge success! Remember - it's all about participating, so come out on April 13-14 and let us know what you think! Just as with the open house, the event itself will provide ways to have your voice heard. We hope to see you there.

For a recap of the open house, check out this article in nola.com >

Better Block BR Trailer!

Check out our Better Block BR trailer and sign up to join us!

Open House Tonight!

Tonight's Better Block BR Open House will be a casual introduction of the project to the general public, as well as an opportunity for residents, business owners, and anyone who is interested in improving Government Street to share their ideas for how the corridor can live up to its potential. We will have stations set up with informative take-aways, visual preference surveys, and our Better Block team members discussing opportunities and gathering ideas. Whether people want to get involved as volunteers, or just want an opportunity to be heard, we hope they will feel welcome to attend tonight's event.

Click the image to see the flyer!

Types of Complete Streets

The design of Better Block BR is based on Complete Streets design principles—or ways of building streets that serve user types of all ages and abilities, whether they travel by foot, bike, automobile, or otherwise. Check out this slideshow of what Complete Streets can mean for different types of communities.

What do you think Government Street would look like if it were a complete street?