New Urbanism, Nostalgia, and the Process of Downtown Revitalization
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2004 The or ad to redevelopment: New Urbanism, nostalgia, and the process of downtown revitalization in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Jennifer Speights-Binet Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Speights-Binet, Jennifer, "The or ad to redevelopment: New Urbanism, nostalgia, and the process of downtown revitalization in Baton Rouge, Louisiana" (2004). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 89. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/89 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. THE ROAD TO REDEVELOPMENT: NEW URBANISM, NOSTALGIA, AND THE PROCESS OF DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Jennifer Speights-Binet B.S., Samford University, 1994 M.S., University of Edinburgh, 1998 May 2004 ©Copyright 2004 Jennifer Speights-Binet All rights reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am extremely grateful to LSU’s Department of Geography and Anthropology and the Graduate School for financial support throughout my graduate work, including a Robert C. West award for research travel. I am also indebted to the offices of Plan Baton Rouge and the Downtown Development District for their primary role in the research for this dissertation. In particular, I wish to thank Elizabeth “Boo” Thomas, Rachel DiResto, Davis Rhorer, Jeff Fluhr, and Mary Olinde for their time and support during the past five years. Profound thanks are due to Dr. Dydia DeLyser whose contributions to this dissertation are too numerous to mention. Her unflagging support of me personally and professionally throughout my tenure at LSU has had a tremendous impact on my work, not only within the pages of this dissertation but as an instructor, researcher, writer, and new faculty member. Her professionalism, work ethic, and enthusiasm for what we do as geographers are inspirational to me. I also wish to thank my dissertation committee for their time and effort in pushing me through this process. Dr. Miles Richardson has been essential to my progress as a doctoral student through coursework, countless conversations, and of course, his writing, in which he always manages to get to the heart of the matter. Dr. John Grimes has offered much support as well, particularly through an informal reading group in the fall of 2001. Professor David Cronrath and Dr. Michael Desmond have provided perceptive commentary on this dissertation and enthusiasm for the topic. The graduate student community in the geography and anthropology department at LSU has been a continual source of support for me throughout my doctoral studies. iii The collegial atmosphere (both within and outside the classroom) has enriched me professionally and personally. There are too many to name, but in particular, I would like to thank Toni Alexander, Rob Brown, Bill Fagan, and Rebecca Sheehan for their friendship throughout this process. I am also thankful to my new colleagues at University of Houston, Clear Lake, who have helped me adjust to the rigors of faculty life while allowing me to finish this dissertation. In particular, I am indebted to Jeff Lash who has served as mentor, friend, and therapist throughout the writing phase of this work. My parents, Major and LaRue Speights, have been incredibly supportive of me throughout my graduate education, and particularly during the last year of the dissertation process. They have struggled along with me every step of the way, and I thank them for their encouragement. Words are insufficient as I try to express my gratitude to my husband, John. His tireless and unconditional support for me has had a direct impact on the quality of this dissertation. Not only has he listened to hours of my ramblings with interest and enthusiasm, he has provided an amazingly safe place for me when the work seemed impossible. Most importantly, however, he has been an exceptional parent, particularly at times when this process has required that I be an absentee – or at least a very distracted – parent. I am grateful to both John and my daughter, Sara, who have given me so much throughout this process, and in life. This dissertation is dedicated to them with much love and my deepest appreciation. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY AND METHODOLOGIES.............1 1.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................1 1.2 Geography and the City .................................................................................................4 1.3 The Political Economy Critique.....................................................................................7 1.4 The Influence of Cultural Geography..........................................................................10 1.5 Urban Geography and Planning...................................................................................13 1.6 Methodology................................................................................................................15 1.7 Qualitative Methods in Urban Geography...................................................................18 1.8 Format of the Dissertation ...........................................................................................24 CHAPTER 2. HISTORICAL CONSIDERATION ..........................................................27 2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................27 2.2 Moving out of the City.................................................................................................28 2.3 The Legacy of Ebenezer Howard ................................................................................29 2.4.The Automobile Era.....................................................................................................32 2.5.Geographic City Models..............................................................................................34 2.6.Suburban Imaginary.....................................................................................................37 2.7.What to Do with Downtown? ......................................................................................40 2.8.Baton Rouge.................................................................................................................42 CHAPTER 3. DEFINING NEW URBANISM ................................................................63 3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................63 3.2 What is New Urbanism? ..............................................................................................65 3.3 The Suburban Critique.................................................................................................67 3.4 The Seaside Experiment ..............................................................................................69 3.5 Traditional Neighborhood Design ...............................................................................73 3.6 Geography and New Urbanism....................................................................................74 3.7 Don’t Forget About Disney .........................................................................................85 3.8 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................87 CHAPTER 4. PLAN BATON ROUGE: THE DOCUMENT...........................................89 4.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................89 4.2 Plan Baton Rouge .......................................................................................................90 4.3 Catfish Town District (CTD).......................................................................................98 4.4 The Old State Capitol District (OSCD) .....................................................................101 v 4.5 The State Capitol District (SCD) ...............................................................................101 4.6 Central Business District (CBD)................................................................................102 4.7 Beauregard Town Neighborhood (BTN)...................................................................105