Semester of Graduation

Spring 2019

Degree

Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)

Department

Landscape Architecture

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Arnaudville is a small rural town in south central Louisiana with a population of 1200. In 2010, the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) named Arnaudville as one of fourteen cities that were classified as a successful case study of “Creative Placemaking.” The NEA defines creative placemaking as community partnerships that use arts and culture to shape the social, environmental, and economic identity of a place. The NUNU Arts and Culture Collective, a Louisiana Cajun French non-profit arts organization centered in Arnaudville, is the main catalyst of this effort.

Members of NUNU have identified five other rural towns within close proximity to Arnaudville as locations of cultural value, all just west of the Atchafalaya Basin: Sunset (2,298), Grand Coteau (935), Arnaudville (1,067), Cecilia (1,980), and Henderson (1,722), and they are connected by what they call the “Corridor des Arts.” These five communities represent an arc of 21.7 miles envisioned as the first phase of an eventual circle that will include, when complete, a number of communities in the region. Each rural town represents a different aspect of Louisiana French culture, including art, crafts, music, and food. The mission of the Corridor des Arts is to tie these towns together via an art and culture trail through the connecting roads and highways. The aim of this research is to explore how the concept of creative placemaking can be applied through the practice of landscape architecture to conserve the communities’ unique cultural heritage, increase economic activity, and establish environmental stability. The scope of work will focus on the design of projects in the town of Arnaudville as the center of the Corridor des Arts.

Committee Chair

William Douglas

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.4930

Download

Share

COinS