Community Investment
in Quality of Life

by Jeffrey K. Smith, AIA, NCARB

Economic development usually occurs within a community due to geography, demographics, and the activists of economic development boards encouraging the business industry to come to a community. So let's try a paradigm shift in our thinking and talk about attracting the business industry through those factors and also through investment in quality of life. 

Tangipahoa Parish's location is ideal due to the centralized location and proximity to rail, interstate, and land abundance. Can we take advantage of these assets and enhance this geography through investments that will attract outside business, improving the tax base and demographics of our community. 

Sydney Opera House. photo courtesy of www.archdaily.com

Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia​

Downunder, out of the way, and lacking international attention, Sydney city leaders conceived an idea to garner worldwide recognition. They chose a brownfield site (specifically, an old trolley car repair shop) with spectacular view potential on the beautiful Sydney Harbour near the renowned Sydney Harbour Bridge.  They held an international design competition and selected a unique yet challenging design solution submitted by Jørn Oberg Utzon. You may know the rest of the story. Recognized by everyone, this iconic structure defines the city of Sydney worldwide.

Guggenheim Museum. photo courtesy of www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

The Guggenheim Museum is an astonishing symbol of the modern age. Designed by the famous architect Frank Gehry, it opened in 1997. As significant as the Sydney Opera House, this museum is emblematic of urban renewal and the regeneration of Bilboa, Spain. When the steelworks and shipyards along the Nervión river closed, the Basque Country sought out the Guggenheim Foundation to create a European home for its prestigious foundation.

The resulting titanium-clad museum symbolizes the regeneration of Bilboa. This modern design has aroused international enthusiasm and has received massive media coverage. Political and cultural factors, combined with public and private sector investment, helped realize this magnificent structure.

Schmitt Elementary, Columbus, Indiana. Photo courtesy of columbus.in.us

Cummins Inc., Columbus, Indiana

Another unique economic development story worthy of note is the Cummins Corporations investment in Columbus, Indiana. J. Irwin Miller took over as president of Cummins after his return from WWII with the goal of attracting a skilled workforce by improving quality of life in his community of Columbus, Indiana. Miller formed the Cummins Foundation in 1954. He offered the public-school system payment of all architectural fees if the system allowed him to select a nationally renowned architect to design a new elementary school, the Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary School. The project was supposed to be only that one school; however, it was such a successful endeavor that the school board asked Cummins to continue the program. To this day, Cummins Corporation still pays all architectural fees for all public buildings designed and constructed in Columbus. The city is a delightfully creative architectural showcase and a tourism hub for aspiring architects and other architectural aficionados worldwide.

Ideas for Tangipahoa Parish

These three case studies exemplify that economic development through investment in quality of life projects can be hugely successful. The question now is how Tangipahoa Parish can use these case studies and apply them to our community's attributes. We must first recognize tourism's potential as economic development based on our proximity to New Orleans (a tourist mecca) and develop a focus on tourism as a major economic development strategy. The following are a few ideas on how this can be achieved based on Tangipahoa Parish's extraordinary natural environment. 

photo courtesy of Louisiana Wetlands Wanderer

Swamp Experience

What remains of the Manchac Cypress Swamp (what must have been a magnificent forest a couple of hundred years ago) is a marsh wetland struggling to overcome saltwater intrusion. It is highly unlikely to ever recover as a cypress swamp without extreme actions. One of those actions can be reconstructing the cypress swamp by creating ecotourism as a viable option to utilize private and public funding. This endeavor would be no easy task. It will take years to be realized as the swamp it once was. However, using nature as a guide and creating a free-flowing waterway, we can replant the Cypress forest and locate low-density recreational structures and infrastructure in keeping with the region's architectural vernacular (trapper camps). Higher-density development (hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.) can occur along the interstate and railroad to allow access into the revitalized cypress swamp ecosystem. At its finest, this ecotourism could be potentially funded through wetlands mitigation by allowing development within the marsh area and revitalizing the cypress swamp in the surrounding areas. This win-win potential allows the Cypress swamp to be redeveloped and allows access to ecotourism within the area.

Nantahala Outdoor Center. photo courtesy of Nantahala Outdoor Center LinkedIn

The Tangipahoa River is a scenic waterway with enormous potential for recreational tourism. Potential could be realized by creating unique buildings along the river's edge at highway crossings to support water activities, such as kayaking, canoeing, tubing, rafting, and fishing. A fine example of this scenic water utilization is the Nantahala Outdoor Center in North Carolina, and other such centers built along scene waterways throughout the country. Each access structure could contain restaurants, gift shops, as well as wildlife and natural history interpretive centers. River rangers could be established to control the water activities and protect private property owners. At the mouth of the river, the waterway could connect into the Manchac swamp eco-tourism experience. Imagine being able to canoe down the river to a cypress swamp cabin and spend the night listening to the sounds of the wildlife. Campgrounds could be located near entry points along the river. 

Downtown Hammond, Louisiana

Historic Tangipahoa Parish

The history of Tangipahoa Parish has the potential as a tourist destination. From its humble beginnings in the timber industry to the railroad construction and the communities' development located along the tracks, Tangipahoa Parish has a vibrant and exciting story to tell. With the historic revitalization of the communities along the railroad tracks from Ponchatoula to Kentwood, each community could develop historic building walking tours and highlight the dining destinations in each community.  A guide map could help tourists navigate to each town and give the history of the place, highlighting the unique architecture. Southeastern Louisiana University is a great resource to provide the history of the people of each community. Each of our exceptional local festivals could be highlighted. An example of this concept is the Freedom Trail in Boston, Massachusetts, that highlighted a Revolutionary War story. A strategically located interpretive center could be an iconic structure, as well as a tourist attraction. A tourist train between New Orleans and Tangipahoa Parish could provide access to the activities proposed and highlight the Parish dining destinations. 

Chappapeela Sports Park, Hammond, Louisiana

Sports Parks

Taking advantage of the geography through central location and interstate access, expanding the existing sports parks (Chappapeela Sports Park and Ponchatoula Aread Recreations District sports Park) should be a focus. Expanding each park's footprint and creating venues for a multitude of sports could enhance the community's tourism opportunities. At the southern end of the parish, the sports park would have ideal accessibility and expansion of the already popular sites to expand the capabilities into a world-class destination. The facilities could include other activities and amenities to support family members accompanying athletes, i.e., fishing, nature trails, gardens, and playgrounds. The opportunities are endless. So, as Daniel Burnham, the architect for the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, said, "make no little plans." Expansion of the parks' footprint could include all imaginable sports venues and include support areas for extended stays by visitors. Once again, the design for these facilities could highlight the natural and historic beauty of Tangipahoa Parish. 

Conclusion

A comprehensive master plan highlighting the attributes of quality of life improvements in our community could be utilized to encourage our community to invest through our tax dollars and public and private cooperative endeavors. This could create a backdrop that would stimulate the desire for a business industry that would be so proud of its historic and natural attributes. Our area is unique and special and deserves to be planned in an organized manner that encourages smart growth that embraces our natural beauty and celebrates our historic past. 

H/S EXPERIENCE

As human beings, we spend our personal and professional time within the built environment. As Architects, we are privileged to create spaces where people can gather, live, learn, work, eat, sleep, and worship. Therefore, it is incumbent that we design spaces that enhance the quality of life and nurture a greater passion for living. Our design approach is influenced by the environment, culture, and community in which architecture exists. To take it further... We Design for Life.

Jeffrey Smith has used his architectural knowledge to assist the communities of Tangipahoa Parish in developing master plans based on Smart Growth principles. He has served in the Hammond Historic District Commission, the Hammond Downtown Development District, Chamber of Commerce board, and currently serves on the Hammond Planning and Zoning Commission. His architectural career has balanced his dichotomy of a love of both the natural and built environment.

More information can be found on this subject by contacting H/S Architects at jennifer@hollyandsmith.com.