Talking City Park: beyond the usual suspects

Forum 225 brought together community advocates, planners and civic leaders on Monday morning to discuss the future of City-Brooks Park—the golf debate stayed in the clubhouse.

Why it matters: Forum 225 framed the ongoing City-Brooks Park master plan process as a generational opportunity to build the kind of inclusive, spontaneous community space Baton Rouge has never had—one that could anchor talent retention, bridge socioeconomic divides and give residents of all ages somewhere to be together.

The details: The event, held at Counterspace on Government Street, drew more than 30 people, with a focus on engaging younger adults and encouraging participation in the planning process.

• Panelists included LSU architecture professor James Nguyen Spencer, community advocate Maggie Conarro, Forum 225 board member and Strong Towns Baton Rouge founder Adam Chapman and Baton Rouge Area Foundation's Chris Meyer. Adrian Owen Jones moderated.

The Big Picture: Panelists kept returning to the same idea: Baton Rouge says it values community, but has few public places to be together as a community. City-Brooks Park, done right, fixes that.

• Spencer pointed to Central Park in New York and Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, South Carolina—spaces that work because they create spontaneous interaction across income levels and generations.
• Chapman's case for restraint: sidewalks, bike paths and open space first, then see what follows.
• Conarro framed it as a talent retention issue: people with means leave when there's no way to put down roots outside of work and school.

Governance question: Some advocates are pushing for a conservancy model for City-Brooks—a nonprofit board with a long-term lease, similar to Central Park in New York and City Park in New Orleans. Meyer said the case grows stronger when the park is tied to the neighboring University Lakes restoration, given that system's fractured ownership across BREC, LSU, the city-parish and the state.

Big Talk: "If we think small, we're going to get small," Meyer said. "We're not going to get something that's excellent."

The Bottom Line: BREC's community survey tied to the ongoing Sasaki planning process closes Friday. A public meeting is scheduled for June 11. Panelists were direct: fill out the survey, show up to the meeting and weigh in on the future of the park.