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Louisiana, Missouri is located approximately 50 miles
north of St. Louis along the banks of the Mississippi River. The
community is home to a historic district featuring one of the
state’s most impressive collections of Victorian-style architecture
commercial structures.
The community, like many Mississippi River towns,
suffered through a spiraling downturn that began in the 1960’s.
Major industries left the community, smaller businesses followed,
jobs were lost, and residents left to seek job opportunities
elsewhere. Even until recent years, the negative effects of these
trends on Louisiana’s historic downtown district were equally
dramatic and still in evidence by crumbling infrastructure, vacant
and dilapidated buildings, and a severe lack of pedestrian activity.
Realizing that action to turn the tide in downtown
was essential, the Louisiana Economic Development Committee retained
Downtown Professionals Network (DPN) to facilitate the development
of the Downtown Louisiana organization and to map out a vision and
start-up initiatives that would catalyze positive changes in the
district.
The DPN Team assembled for the assignment
orchestrated a “Vision Design” strategic planning process to engage
district stakeholders, community leaders and concerned residents in
creative exercises and energetic forums that invited ideas and
instigated a new and more positive outlook for the future of
downtown. The vision articulated for Downtown Louisiana provided a
framework for reaching consensus on priorities, for the
conceptualization of catalytic projects, and for a “First Steps”
implementation strategy that served to guide newly formed committees
and their early efforts.
Local leaders credit the “Vision Design” process and
program start-up services provided by DPN for playing a major role
in an unprecedented resurgence in new investment, reinvestment,
public improvements and new business activity occurring since 2004.
The progress and results reported by this small community are
impressive, indeed, and include: |
