Competition encourages ideas, forward thinking

Special to 318 Forum

What could you do with a blighted property that will soon be remediated with the help of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LADEQ) and renovated to bring it up to code? Could you re-imagine an exciting new space with a unique business and do it with a small budget?

Shreveport Common Inc. (SCI), the nonprofit redevelopment arm of the award-winning Shreveport Common revitalization initiative, is asking the community to re-imagine an underutilized property into an innovative new business space. Re-Imagine 959 Texas Ave.

Design & Use Contest was announced Sept. 23 at the Shreveport Common Day community meeting. The property is located at the southwest corner of Texas Avenue and Wilson Steet in Shreveport Common.

The winning entry, due on Oct. 23, comes with a $1,000 cash prize. The local chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is assisting with the contest.

Architects, local business owners, artists, entrepreneurs and students are called to enter this adaptive reuse design competition. Teams are encouraged. According to Wendy Benscoter, executive director of Shreveport Common Inc., the contest is open to everyone. "We want everyone to have the opportunity to imagine what they want this property to be," said Benscoter. She stressed that the entry chosen by a representative selection committee will be evaluated on how well it …

• Advances the Shreveport Common vision for an uncommon creative community.

• Fills a gap contextually within the neigh borhood.

• Meets constraints of the area.

• Is a "big idea" created with a small budget.

Re-Imagine 959 Texas deadline is Oct. 23. Winners will be announced in early November. For more information about the contest, visit the Shreveport Common website at https://www.shreveportcommon.com/reimagine-959.

“...a big idea created with a small budget”