Why is the South so Behind by More than a Decade Plus ? (New Orleans: hotel, homes)
Shreveport-Bossier CityBossier Parish, Caddo Parish, De Soto Parish
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IT is purely Amazing, in America where we have 24/7 media how and why is the South ( Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas) so far behind in not just human rights equilibrium but in understanding how to develop and progress.
Many of these places have no concern nor idea of the value of youth programming, we ignore the 20-30 something creativity and energy, and we get stuck in a older segment trying to remain agiatated aboout their hey day years of the 1960 until, the defeat mentality of anything current is beyond belief.
Where is the Tech Community of the South? Why are we void of leadership which has any interest and understanding of what the value of a Tech Community is to Growth in the 21st Century.
We are void of the Talent in our young people, there are so many self taught individuals who have vast knowledge of tech and programming and various other tech skills they can merge with arts and innovations. We simply ignore it.
What is the nature of the political atomsphere, They seem to be lacking when it comes to understanding investment and the needs to invest. They live with the fear and despair as if we are going to shut down as a city and region and blow away in the dust?
What happen to the 'SPIRIT OF AMERICA"..why do we have so little concern for the development of business. It's insidious that we don't have a robust program to market and develop economic development incentives to make deals to fill up the facility at the Old GM Plant. That could very well be a multi use, multip industrial Campus. (we have no one with foresight to think in those terms).
It's an insult to see the Old Western Electric Building UNDER-UTILIZED, and no plans to do anything that would bring it into quality function.
Downtown, the SLATTERY BUILDING, with its period excellent architectural design, just sits there, with no activity to do anything or to marekt it. We flat out ignored the excellent Tree Lined Section of Milam directly behind the Court House.
Now, one matter that is a great sadness.. We have absolutely no area that is designed for WALK STREET TRAFFIC.
We have the areas adjacent to Mellinimum Studio, East of Common, which could be made into a Downtown Park. But we don't have the mindsets to grasp vision. Yet a park in that location would be near the convention center, the Studio, in the vicinity of the Federal Court building and in close walking distance from Government Plaza.
These are only a few items... I'm sure there are multitudes more. Which can be discussed.
Highland, there should be some mandates put in place in the areas where the homes are still in tact, Mandatory standard for purchase, which should include the ability to maintain and sustain the properties that are in good condition. These has to be some protective measures set up to preserve the history. and those that had fallen in deterioation, if ones wants to rebuild it must reflect the period era designs of the existing homes.
To quality for buying it, the year upkeep cost must be factored in the ability to afford it.
There are many things we can do, if we become interested in doing something as a collective of citizens within the spectrum of the city's expanse.
I'm very curious as to what happen to the Farming Communities. It's very difficult on the average street to find local produced vegetables? This is such an oddity considering this is the south, with rich soil and the ability to grow many things.
We just don't have it anymore. Maybe a few trucks show up here or there, and they are quickly gone. I have not see home grown cucumbers in any of the local stores, I have not over the years seen the burlap bags of Peanuts people use to sell.
We do get corn, but it seems to be shipped in and fronze condition, only for the local markets.
Farmers markets is more novelty, and some sellers are from 'commercial farms", rather than having a Simply Farmers Square where there is always fresh produce and others natural foods made available. It's purely amazing, we have none of this. Even most third world nations have a center in their town where people see locally grown and produced products.
Maybe we need to look back in these regards and re-learn to live, and get past this big box, big marketing system which sells us everything chemically injected and ripended by gases sprayed and time stored in a cold cooler, rather than natural sun-ripened where its natural juices has the ability to do what they are to naturally do.
Today, unless a text book tells them, kids don't even know where eggs comes from, or many other things, except from the shelf in the grocery store.
In 20 yrs without mass marketings, the kids born today, would not even be able to feed themselves. Unless they can generate it with a 3D printer.
I'm very curious as to what happen to the Farming Communities. It's very difficult on the average street to find local produced vegetables? This is such an oddity considering this is the south, with rich soil and the ability to grow many things.
We just don't have it anymore. Maybe a few trucks show up here or there, and they are quickly gone. I have not see home grown cucumbers in any of the local stores, I have not over the years seen the burlap bags of Peanuts people use to sell.
We do get corn, but it seems to be shipped in and fronze condition, only for the local markets.
Farmers markets is more novelty, and some sellers are from 'commercial farms", rather than having a Simply Farmers Square where there is always fresh produce and others natural foods made available. It's purely amazing, we have none of this. Even most third world nations have a center in their town where people see locally grown and produced products.
Maybe we need to look back in these regards and re-learn to live, and get past this big box, big marketing system which sells us everything chemically injected and ripended by gases sprayed and time stored in a cold cooler, rather than natural sun-ripened where its natural juices has the ability to do what they are to naturally do.
Today, unless a text book tells them, kids don't even know where eggs comes from, or many other things, except from the shelf in the grocery store.
In 20 yrs without mass marketings, the kids born today, would not even be able to feed themselves. Unless they can generate it with a 3D printer.
In many progressive areas, like the Pacific Northwest, there is such a huge push to support local products - particularly organic vegetables and items grown locally.
Seems like more places in the U.S., should do more local as well.
My wife and I are LSU grads in tech fields and have gravitated to the money and opportunities now in Seattle area. Both of our Father's were LSU grads in technical fields and most of their graduates left the state....so there has been a brain drain going on for decades. The reasons for this are multiple but ultimately go to where would you invest large capital.
I'm surprised Louisiana has fared as well as it has and most of our siblings there are doing quite well.
To be fair, some places in the South including Texas and the Research Triangle in NC have invested heavily in tech and are thriving.
OP- Texas has people from all over the country moving in for all kinds of jobs including tech jobs. Texas has one of the best if not best economies in the whole country. Many educated people from all over are moving to Texas.
To the question about local farming products. Most mom & pop farms are few and far between. The so called "farmers market" in Shreveport is mostly wholesale products for resale, very few local "growers" in the booths. One reason there aren't many local farms with a variety of food products is simply that it's more profitable to grow feed grains, soybeans and cotton. These items qualify for state and federal subsidies so that the farmers win even in the event of a poor growing season thanks to the subsidy. And thanks to foreign produce imports, it's pretty tough for a local farmer to compete.
Now someone mentioned organic produce, that might be an option but you have to realize that folks with better incomes and higher education will pay the extra bucks whereas Joe & Jane six-pack won't. There's been more than a few studies on the grocery habits of these two very different groups. Lower income folks tend to shop for the "more bang for the buck" quantity over quality. Think heavy carb diets which are pound-for-pound cheaper than say a diet high in quality produce and more lean cuts of meat. The "Whole Foods Market" which is coming to S'port soon will be an interesting experiment. I know of two people personally who work for WFM in other cities and they told me the thing that was keeping them from expanding in Shreveport were two things:
1. Lower education levels and 2. Lower median incomes.
While Shreveport brags about job growth or stability....we're talking mostly retail jobs growth which is usually lower income wages. Population has stagnated and there is still a considerable outmigration of better educated, younger folks.
When I was a kid growing up here, there were several mom & pop produce stands and trucks on the side of the road selling fresh, locally grown produce. But those things are from a bygone era.
We just like to take things a little slower. Take a sip of sweet tea and nap a while. No sense in getting in a hurry. Them "Yankees" talk and move a little too fast for us. Now, what was the question again?
IT is purely Amazing, in America where we have 24/7 media how and why is the South ( Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas) so far behind in not just human rights equilibrium but in understanding how to develop and progress.
Many of these places have no concern nor idea of the value of youth programming, we ignore the 20-30 something creativity and energy, and we get stuck in a older segment trying to remain agiatated aboout their hey day years of the 1960 until, the defeat mentality of anything current is beyond belief.
Where is the Tech Community of the South? Why are we void of leadership which has any interest and understanding of what the value of a Tech Community is to Growth in the 21st Century.
We are void of the Talent in our young people, there are so many self taught individuals who have vast knowledge of tech and programming and various other tech skills they can merge with arts and innovations. We simply ignore it.
What is the nature of the political atomsphere, They seem to be lacking when it comes to understanding investment and the needs to invest. They live with the fear and despair as if we are going to shut down as a city and region and blow away in the dust?
What happen to the 'SPIRIT OF AMERICA"..why do we have so little concern for the development of business. It's insidious that we don't have a robust program to market and develop economic development incentives to make deals to fill up the facility at the Old GM Plant. That could very well be a multi use, multip industrial Campus. (we have no one with foresight to think in those terms).
It's an insult to see the Old Western Electric Building UNDER-UTILIZED, and no plans to do anything that would bring it into quality function.
Downtown, the SLATTERY BUILDING, with its period excellent architectural design, just sits there, with no activity to do anything or to marekt it. We flat out ignored the excellent Tree Lined Section of Milam directly behind the Court House.
Now, one matter that is a great sadness.. We have absolutely no area that is designed for WALK STREET TRAFFIC.
We have the areas adjacent to Mellinimum Studio, East of Common, which could be made into a Downtown Park. But we don't have the mindsets to grasp vision. Yet a park in that location would be near the convention center, the Studio, in the vicinity of the Federal Court building and in close walking distance from Government Plaza.
These are only a few items... I'm sure there are multitudes more. Which can be discussed.
Highland, there should be some mandates put in place in the areas where the homes are still in tact, Mandatory standard for purchase, which should include the ability to maintain and sustain the properties that are in good condition. These has to be some protective measures set up to preserve the history. and those that had fallen in deterioation, if ones wants to rebuild it must reflect the period era designs of the existing homes.
To quality for buying it, the year upkeep cost must be factored in the ability to afford it.
There are many things we can do, if we become interested in doing something as a collective of citizens within the spectrum of the city's expanse.
You should leave Texas out of your antiquated assumption. Texas is second only to California in term of GDP. Some HS in Dallas are ranked at the top in the country, and UT and A&M (part of AAU) are among the top public universities in US. Texas high tech economy is thriving and gaining larger footprint.
Your assumptions are probably true for Shreveport, but you really need to get out in other parts of the South. Cities like Atlanta, Austin, and Charlotte are vibrant cities with high economic growth in the high tech arena.
Shreveport has managed to be sluggish in growth. The casinos can only do so much and you don't have the petrochemical expansions like S. Louisiana to keep the economy afloat. It is becoming a movie hub of northwest Louisiana however.
Shreveport has relied heavily on annexation for it's growth, extending city boundries to fringe populated areas. This strategy worked before decades ago. But with annexation came a need for providing costly city services, improvement AND maintenance of costly infrastructure (which has been dismal). The increased annexation didn't provide adequate tax base to support such measures and so the city gets bond issue after bond issue and incremental tax increases yet the population median incomes haven't really increased with the times. And so infrastructure was ignored and the can was continually kicked down the road until today where the city is being forced by federal mandate to clean things up or get heavily fined.
Yet administrations seem to go after those sexy brick & mortar projects like convention centers, city-owned hotel, failed riverfront developments... etc. Ignoring the less sexy things like a better water & sewer infrastructure, better maintained roads, etc., ad nauseum.
Shreveport is a big "little-town" and the leadership here is a mess. Hightower was in the paper recently touting his past administration's accomplishments... ignoring his failures (like the $20 million Red River Entertainment District / John Elkington fiasco). His friends benefitted from lucrative contracts. Follow the money. Had Katrina not hit New Orleans, there wouldn't have been as much filmmaking in Shreveport because of tax incentive contracts had to be completed withing a year's time.
Our leadership is fractured and very crony-oriented. What's holding Shreveport back? The very people running it. Look at the lunacy that is the 3132 inner loop to the port that has a developer holding the city by the short & curlies. Look at I-49 inner city route that has a public housing project going up in the middle of the ideal route. I-49 has been going on for decades.... and it still isn't complete. This tells you a lot about a city's resolve towards progress. No political clout with anyone, just a lot of noise. This type of scenario is pretty common for NW La. or so it seems. That's why the area is 10+yrs behind in all things.
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