海角社区

海角社区 helps strengthen Louisiana communities鈥攂uilding resiliency in areas that have been hit hard by storms and climate change including Lake Charles, where 海角社区 President William F. Tate IV will meet with elected officials, local leaders and 海角社区 experts today as part of the .

Through course instruction and mentoring, research and direct stakeholder engagement, 海角社区 has several projects and initiatives to help build community resiliency. One example is 海角社区 landscape architecture students recently visited Lake Charles and engaged in an intensive, hands-on workshop with 海角社区 civil engineering students. Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter鈥檚 office, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana and the National Parks Service identified six specific sites along Contraband Bayou for the students to workshop. The Contraband Bayou project builds on the and the Bayou Greenbelt initiative, while the Greinwich Terrace project is part of the All these courses expose students to complex conditions similar to what they can expect to find working in their future professions.

Another example is 海角社区 architecture graduate students are currently working on a project entitled 鈥淟ive Corridors: The Role of Architecture in Green Infrastructure鈥� focused on Southwest Louisiana. The hands-on architectural studio class serves as an introduction to contextual building design in an urban setting with emphasis on site and context analysis and community planning in a collaborative working environment. The students鈥� work will support the natural environment by considering spaces to promote biodiversity; create spaces for cyclists; include spaces for food production that will engage local communities; and prioritize education-related programs, both formal and informal places for learning.

Working with community leaders and stakeholders

The 海角社区 Coastal Ecosystem Design Studio teams up with Louisiana Sea Grant, FEMA and the Louisiana Office of Community Development to host the Louisiana Community Resilience Institute, or LCRI, Elected Officials Workshop. LCRI is a collaborative effort that explores site-specific community project ideas with community leaders and subject matter experts.  Elected officials from Southwest Louisiana areas impacted by Hurricanes Laura and Delta attended the workshop held in October at the 海角社区 Center for River Studies.

Recent participants included Beauregard Parish Police Jury Vice President Eddie Ware, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Vice President Anthony Bartie, Jennings Mayor Henry Guinn, Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter and Vinton Mayor Marcus Renfrow. During the workshop, each elected official presented a site-specific project idea in the hopes of obtaining constructive criticism from political peers and experts, recommendations for next steps and introductions to potential resources.

LCRI workshop ideas, energy and commitment don鈥檛 end when the workshop is over! LCRI workshop participants are introduced to resources on the last day of the workshop and again later when the Final Report is issued. LCRI participants have the unique opportunity to learn about and sometimes meet with potential project development and funding partners while also exploring ideas for refining and strengthening the foundational concept(s) of their projects, in preparation for next steps. 

Providing solutions, student innovation to stakeholders

海角社区 brings some of these project ideas into courses and design studios鈥攍ike the ones previously mentioned-to conduct deeper study and to develop useful products. Products may include preliminary master plans, site or infrastructure designs or impressive visualizations including images informed by science, GIS and more.

Best practices enacted in 海角社区鈥檚 home state are critical and transferable to global communities facing similar challenges.

"Best practices enacted in 海角社区鈥檚 home state are critical and transferable to global communities facing similar challenges."

Traci Birch, 海角社区 Coastal Ecosystem Design Studio associate director