by Rachel Worthy

Created on: January 29, 2007   Last Updated: April 28, 2007

Can Smart Growth Develop {New} Neighborhoods?

Lafayette, La., both before and after Hurricane Katrina and Rita's aftermath led to an influx of new residents, has potential for adapting to change, but with no concrete plan in place, Lafayette, one of many coastal cities facing the worldwide impacts of global warming, will have to bear the burden of implementing balanced economic and governing policies while maintaining the environmental survival of its community and peoples.

In addressing population expansion and New Urbanism, the trend for people to relocate in urban areas, some communities have adoptedor at least tried to adoptpolicies that accommodate the concepts of "Smart Growth" as a way to lessen the negative impacts of urban and suburban sprawl.
"Smart Growth is basically geared toward smart planning," commented Teddy Beaullieu, development director for River Ranch, the first Traditional Neighborhood Development, or TND, in Lafayette.
TNDs, Beaullieu said, accommodates "the pedestrian, not the automobile." TNDs "provide access to and resources for (the community's) daily needs," he added about the benefits of TNDs as opposed to traditional neighborhood housing.
River Ranch is the first TND in the state, and according to Beaullieu, it is celebrated across the nation for its uniqueness and location. Beaullieu considers the development at River Ranch a success despite having to deal with outdated city government regulations that haven't taken Smart Growth planning into fruition. Beaullieu said when Robert Daigle conceptualized River Ranch, he had to receive special waivers from the city to begin the project.
"You didn't have these types of developments beforehand is because it was illegal to build them," he said.
A second development, Sugar Mill Pond, is being constructed in Youngsville, which has its own governing body, and he said he is learning from the River Ranch process.
"Youngsville went one step further and created the first TND ordinance, which basically governs the development of traditional neighborhoods so we don't have to go to them every time and get a variance, like we did here in Lafayette," he said.
A lack of ordinances is not the only reason that Lafayette has not accepted a community vision that accepts Smart Growth.
Lafayette City-Parish Councilman Bruce Conque, said the reason Lafayette hasn't widely accepted Smart Growth is because there is no master plan for the city.
"How do you operate without a plan? How do you know what are your

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