to blow up the status quo, to force the reconsideration of long-held beliefs about community strengths and weaknesses, to put the myths of growth on display, and to encourage what has become a remarkable and overdue public dialogue about future planning.

When I was a journalist, I loved election years. They were roller-coasters, years when anything could happen (and generally did), and the candidate quotes were often eye-opening.

In April, downtown Shreveport’s highest-profile rehab in recent memory – the Lofts at 624 – began welcoming apartment dwellers. The moves come none too soon for people who see the development as an important step forward in the revitalization of Shreveport’s historic downtown.

The 600 and 700 blocks of Texas Street have been paddling hard for a while now. There’s money being spent, buildings being rehabbed, businesses opening and expanding.

Last week, I came across a list of trends published by Urbanscale, a company whose job it is to keep up with what downtowns are doing across the country. Always curious to see how we are doing compared to others, I dove in … and almost immediately broke into a smile.

Almost inevitably, some of those stories will revolve around small businesses. It might involve that hole-in-the-wall Colorado general store five miles from the edge of nowhere with the best ice cream you’ve ever eaten and a National Park Service...

2011, a group from around the state of Louisiana came together to advocate in support of Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Tyler will have the bully pulpit at her disposal and should learn quickly that her comments can encourage stronger partnerships, excite and encourage developers, and break logjams.