The city of Alexandria, Lousiana is the heart of the state, home to a rich cultural heritage, historic architecture, and diverse people. Geographically, Alexandria is vulnerable to the regional upheavals that come with hurricanes, as evacuees pass through in massive numbers during storms and other disasters. Alexandria is also subject to flooding by the Red River and local bayous. In 2011, Alexandria was awarded a Resiliency Planning Grant, funded by HUD and the Louisiana Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery Unit.
Concordia has served as the project lead and coordinator of the Resiliency Planning process, dubbed THINKAlex, which includes facilitating community engagement to guide the creation of a new land use plan, housing plan, and transportation plan, concluded by the revision of the city’s development code. A broad engagement process has been integrated at both the city and neighborhood levels, providing opportunities for including general and specific perspectives. The citywide meetings have empowered citizens to develop a vision for how they see Alexandria changing in the future, while the neighborhood meetings have uncovered more detailed information about how to improve the daily life of all residents through the land use, housing, and transportation plans.
