Planner says lack of state support ‘frustrating, offensive, embarrassing’

Lee Einsweiler, principal with Austin, Texas-based Code Studio, says many other states are outpacing Louisiana in providing outreach, funding and information to local communities that want to create blueprints for growth. “I am frustrated by and offended by the lack of support for planning in this state,” he says, drawing applause from the audience today at the closing panel of the Smart Growth Summit hosted by the Center for Planning Excellence. “Every single time, we’re sort of reinventing the wheel on those initial, basic data pieces that other states across the country have found ways to provide to their communities.” That lack of support forces organizations like CPEX to fill in the gaps, which is “modestly embarrassing,” Einsweiler says. At the same time, Louisiana has great potential to leap ahead and be a national model and intellectual leader in ways it hasn’t before, especially on issues like water management, rising sea levels and the usage of its ports, he said. Einsweiler is one of the creators of the Louisiana Land Use Toolkit, the first version of which is now available for free online. CPEX Board Chair Cordell Haymon and other speakers urged attendees to go out and stress the importance of smart growth to their neighbors and elected representatives.—David Jacobs