Places & Faces
From Classroom Concepts to Community Impact LSU Students Help Reimagine SWLA For the past four years, Just Imagine SWLA has worked to move the plan’s 11 catalytic projects from vision to reality through creative partnerships and community-driven planning. One of the most impactful examples is the Urban Renewal Catalysts studio at Louisiana State University, where architecture and landscape architecture students apply their skills to realworld challenges facing Southwest Louisiana. The partnership reflects one of the core values of the Just Imagine Plan: collaboration. By engaging students directly in community-based projects, the program helps advance local ideas while giving future architects and designers hands-on experience working alongside residents, civic leaders and stakeholders. Funded through the National Academies of Sciences Gulf Research Program, the initiative has now completed its fourth year. During that time, students have explored five major Just Imagine SWLA catalytic projects, including the Bayou Greenbelt, Strong Downtowns, Mid-City Neighborhood Transformation, Strategies to Address Underutilized Property and Community Resilience Hubs. The studio follows a collaborative structure that immerses students in both research and community engagement. The process began in January 2026 with presentations in Baton Rouge introducing students to the Just Imagine SWLA framework, along with the challenges and opportunities facing the region. Students then spent several weeks conducting background research and developing early concepts before traveling to Southwest Louisiana in March. The field trip gave students a chance to experience the project areas firsthand. Local stakeholders joined the discussions, helping students better understand the history, existing conditions and community priorities connected
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to each site. Students toured neighborhoods, reviewed infrastructure and gathered feedback on their preliminary ideas. One highlight of the visit was a tour of the new emergency operations center in Cameron Parish, led by Porche May Architecture. The facility, which is expected to open soon, provided students with a powerful example of how resilient design can support communities preparing for future storms and disasters. The visit reinforced many themes students were exploring in their own projects, especially the importance of planning with long-term resilience in mind. In April, community stakeholders traveled to LSU to participate in final project reviews. They