Louisiana

Gasoline

Steep Climb to Raising Louisiana's Gas Tax

A bill to hike Louisiana's gas tax by 17 cents per gallon has advanced, but the state has a "California problem": Tax increases must pass by a two-thirds majority.

May 25, 2017 - The Advocate (Louisiana)

Drinking Water

The Sorry State of U.S. Water Infrastructure

Water bills are going up because pipes put in shortly after World War II are in need of repair and replacement all over the country, and federal funding for water is shrinking.

May 17, 2017 - Vox

Coastal Erosion

Tiny Bugs Causing Big Problems for the Vanishing Louisiana Coast

A mealy bug is devastating the cane that holds the land on the Louisiana coast in place. Without the cane, many square miles of land may wash away.

May 7, 2017 - The Washington Post

General P.G.T. Beauregard equestrian statue

New Orleans Begins Removing Monuments to the Confederacy

The city of New Orleans has a plan to remove four monuments to the Confederate States of America, deciding that monuments to the racist cause of the Confederacy belong in a museum, not in the city.

April 24, 2017 - The Times-Picayune

Louisiana

Shreveport Debates a Highway Proposal

Strong Towns is rolling out an in-depth analysis of a controversial proposal in Shreveport, Louisiana to build a new connector for Interstate 49 North in the heart of the city.

February 22, 2017 - Strong Towns

New Orleans Musicians

How Will Pricey Cities House Their Artists?

With rents on the rise even in "inexpensive" cities like New Orleans, artists and musicians are getting priced out. Affordable housing designated for artists is one way to help them stay.

February 10, 2017 - PBS NewsHour

Rolling Digital Billboards Hit New Orleans' Streets

A southern Louisiana company is bringing a mobile, four-sided digital billboard to the streets of New Orleans

February 7, 2017 - The Advocate (Louisiana)

Cul-de-Sac

On the Municipal Balance Sheet, Central Districts Look Good

Charles Marohn analyzes Lafayette, Louisiana for how well (or poorly) its districts measure up in terms of infrastructure investment versus tax revenues. The results are telling.

February 1, 2017 - Strong Towns

New Orleans

Proposed Law Would Curb Late-Night Partying in New Orleans

A string of shootings on Bourbon Street in New Orleans have inspired the mayor to propose a package of new security measures. One of the proposals would cut back the city's all-night revelry.

January 25, 2017 - The Advocate

Gas Pump

New Year's Day State Gas Tax Increases, Decreases, and What Lies Ahead

Pennsylvania, the state that had the highest gas tax last year, saw the highest gas tax increase of 7.9 cents per gallon, the final increment of a 2013 law. Michigan's 7.3 cents tax increase, signed into law in 2015, is the second largest increase.

January 11, 2017 - Tax Justice Blog

A orivate eye at work

Stakeouts and 'Private Eyes': Monitoring Short-Term Rentals for Tenants' Rights

The constantly moving legal lines between regulators and short-term rental companies like Airbnb have taken on some distinctly noir activities.

December 27, 2016 - Bloomberg

Levee

Louisiana Finds Surprising Success in Fight Against Land Loss

Thirty years following the start of a project designed to build back land that was slowly being lost to the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana is celebrating a rare success.

November 8, 2016 - New Orleans Times-Picayune

Pedestrian Intersection

Lack of Pedestrian Signals Puts New Orleanians at Risk

A recent report has shed light on the lack of pedestrian signals at intersections around the city of New Orleans, where pedestrians have been injured or killed at greater rates than more populous neighboring parishes.

October 26, 2016 - The Advocate

New Orleans

New Orleans Approves Contentious Short-Term Rentals Regulation

Many cities popular with tourists are dealing with the effects of a proliferation of short-term rental properties (brokered through the use of online platforms like Airbnb). New Orleans just took steps to legalize, but limit, short-term rentals.

October 22, 2016 - The Times-Picayune

The Data Science Behind New Orleans' Blight Reduction Efforts

The BlightSTAT system has helped New Orleans track and improve blighted conditions around the city.

October 21, 2016 - Data-Smart City Solutions

Wynton Marsalis

Friday Fun: Wynton Marsalis on the 'Mythic Significance' of Trains

Famed musician Wynton Marsalis recently spoke with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx about the connections between music and transportation.

October 14, 2016 - Facebook Video

New Orleans Doors

New Orleans Leverages New Federal Housing Rule as Gentrification Tool

New Orleans is among the first cities to respond to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Affirmatively Furthering Affordable Housing rule.

October 5, 2016 - The New Orleans Advocate

New Orleans Added Almost 2,00 Affordable Units in 2016

A report from HousingNOLA about efforts to create and preserve affordable housing in New Orleans finds reasons to celebrate and reasons to keep working on the challenge.

October 4, 2016 - The New Orleans Advocate

Getting Raised in Gentilly, Loisiana

Louisiana Dials Back Requirements for Elevating Homes in Flood Areas

Housing market pressures, flood insurance costs, changing FEMA maps, and improved methods of flood control are giving victims of flood damage in Louisiana mixed signals on how high they should rebuild their homes.

September 22, 2016 - The Advocate (Louisiana)

Baton Rouge Louisiana

Lessons from Louisiana

We should have seen the historic flooding in the Florida Parishes region of Louisiana coming—both in preparation and in response—says a pair of recent articles.

August 31, 2016 - The Conversation

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