Addressing Baton Rouge’s longstanding racial tension and the city’s vulnerability to natural disasters should be high priorities for the Capital City’s next mayor, according to the election platform released today by the Center for Planning Excellence.
The release of CPEX’s election platform follows last week’s release of an election platform by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, which also has asked the city’s mayoral candidates to pledge to unify the city.
“The acute disparities revealed and losses suffered in the recent tragedies are a result of a historical litany of policies and decisions that must be thoroughly re-examined and revised,” CPEX writes in its platform.
The summer of 2016 was largely a tumultuous season in Baton Rouge. The city watched the viral death of Alton Sterling, was stunned by the ambush killing of law enforcement officers, functioned as the backdrop of protests for social injustice and had large swaths washed away by a historic August flood.
CPEX writes that social cohesion is key to the city’s resilience.
“The next mayor should take action to unify the city and decrease racial and socioeconomic disparities by focusing on public engagement that bridges racial divides and making equity an explicit guiding criteria for all city investments,” the center says.
Leading flood recovery efforts and seizing on opportunities to rebuild better and smarter to reduce vulnerability to future disasters will be critical, as will be connecting businesses and maintaining and strengthening social networks, the center says.
“Planning is an invaluable tool,” CPEX writes. “It can lead to a more just society, better coordination and a more balanced approach to investment that benefits all areas of the community.”
CPEX has identified six issues that address the goal of improving social cohesion. Those issues include:
- Coordination of public services and investments
- Increasing planning capacity
- Mobility and transportation
- Reinvestment and revitalization
- Environmental stewardship
- Increasing quality of life
