Florida
Boulevard Master Action Plan (FLOMap) –
an initiative to revitalize
Florida Boulevard
Baton Rouge, Louisiana is a city prone to
sprawl and traffic congestion. A recent master
plan to improve the Government Street corridor
calls for the diversion of some of the traffic
to Florida Boulevard, four blocks north.
Already heavily traveled, Florida Boulevard
is the chief connection between downtown and
the eastern suburbs of Baton Rouge. In the
past as well as recently, Florida Boulevard
facilitated that suburban migration that has
left behind underutilized infrastructure and
deteriorating buildings.
While the increased volume of traffic can
look like a threat, it offers opportunities
as well. Several major institutions abut Florida
Boulevard-the transit center for Capitol Area
Transit Systems, a major hospital, Bon Carre-an
old regional mall site redeveloped into a
technology-based office park, Baton Rouge
Community College. Downtown Baton Rouge is
undergoing redevelopment. A fine array of
modern buildings line the Boulevard, inviting
reuse and inspiring the style of infill development.
The area's population is diverse-ethnically,
culturally, and economically. A number of
civic groups are ready for action and public
officials are supportive.
The AIA Baton Rouge initiative, FLOMap, seeks
to create a plan to redevelop and revitalize
Florida Boulevard so that it will accept the
diverted traffic while becoming more viable
as a transportation, retail, and neighborhood
corridor.
Beginning with an inventory of the area,
AIA Baton Rouge convened meetings of property
owners, tenants, and interested citizens to
discuss the promise and problems of the area.
Another meeting added public officials from
the Mayor's office, the Planning Commission,
the transit authority, and metro council to
further refine goals. A public lecture, The
Modern Architecture of Florida Boulevard,
highlighted the architectural assets of the
corridor and illustrated its potential. Other
lectures held in public libraries around the
parish were video-taped and broadcast on public
access television.
Additional work sessions with the community
and planning officials yielded a report including
the inventory, building conditions analysis,
signage analysis, housing counts, and other
findings plus drawings and recommendations
for the corridor. An architect will be hired
by the City to study a pilot area that will
form the basis of an Overlay District.
The ultimate benefit to Baton Rouge is the
transformation of a major underutilized and
deteriorating transportation corridor into
a vital community asset with its own character.
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