Allendale Strong

Freeway Fighters Monthly Meetup
2023-06-28 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual
(4:00 pm Eastern Time)

SWEPCO Park Advisory & Committee Zoom
2023-06-28 11:30 - 12:30, 2023-06-14 11:30 - 12:30 | Virtual
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/531883105
Meeting ID: 531 883 105

A conversation with Strong Towns - Escaping the Housing Trap
2024-04-23 18:00 - 19:00 | LSUS University Center Theatre
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 6:00PM ReForm Shreveport will host a Book Tour presentation with Chuck Marohn from Strong Towns. This book, called “Escaping the Housing Trap”, discusses the tension that exists in america today between housing as an investment and as a shelter we all need to survive. Charles Marohn has graciously asked to stop by this month on April 23rd to present this content to us here in Shreveport. Here is the description from Strong Towns:
“Housing is an investment. Investment prices must go up. Housing is shelter. When the price of shelter goes up, people experience distress.
This is the housing trap. It’s time to escape. This presentation introduces a first-of-its-kind discussion of the tension between housing as a financial product and housing as shelter. These insights will help local communities fight back against the current affordability housing crisis, and opt out of the boom and bust cycles that have typified housing in postwar America.
This presentation offers a serious, yet accessible, history of housing policy in the United States and explains how it led us to this point in time: where we face a market that is rigged against people who, only a few decades ago, could have been homeowners or stable, long-term renters. Only local change, on a neighborhood or city-wide scale, can begin to restore balance to the housing market.”

After the event, there will be a book signing and opportunities to discuss more with Chuck and others from the Strong Towns staff. The presentation will help our community understand:

How the tension between housing as an investment and housing as shelter impacts where and how we live.
How financial innovations in the Great Depression stabilized the housing market, and how those tools were repurposed after World War II to rapidly expand America’s cities.
How a series of housing price bubbles and banking crises have financialized the housing market, transforming homeowners from the customer purchasing a home to the product supporting a mortgage.
How regulations designed to facilitate the rapid growth of cities end up stagnating neighborhoods and creating artificial housing shortages.
Why making it easier for more people to borrow more money is not a solution to housing affordability and, in fact, has only made housing less broadly attainable.
The huge difference between a goal of making affordable housing and a goal of making housing affordable.
Where cities can effectively intervene to make their housing market more locally responsive, broadly increasing affordability without participating in the boom and bust cycle of the broader housing market.

This event, which will be held at Louisiana State University, Shreveport (One University Place, Shreveport LA 71105) will be live-streamed on the ReForm Shreveport Facebook page, and saved for viewing later. We hope you can come to LSUS.

AllendaleStrong Monthly Meeting
2023-03-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Allendale Friendship House, 1515 Clay Street, Shreveport, LA, United States
Join us for our monthly meetings on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30 – 8 PM at 1515 Clay Street.

FCI Blue Peer Group for Co-op startups
2023-07-13 17:00 - 18:00 | Virtual

Louisiana 4 Corners Coalition for Transportation Planning Reform
2023-07-04 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual

Corner Store Co-op Committee
2023-06-24 08:45 - 09:45 | Allendale Friendship House, 1515 Clay Street, Shreveport, LA, United States

Legislative Public Hearing for the Highway Priority Program
2024-02-07 08:30 - 09:30 | Bossier Parish Community College, 6220 E Texas St, Bossier City, 71111, United States
This past Friday John Perkins attended the NLCOG meeting and learned that the Louisiana Legislative Joint Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee is holding its annual roadshow around the state to review fiscal year 2024-25 preliminary priorities with interested citizens and hear from citizens their concerns and priorities.

The meeting for the Shreveport / Bossier City area (District 4) is this Wednesday February 7, 2024; 8:30 am at LA Tech at Bossier Parish Community College, Building H – Moran Room, 6220 E Texas St, Bossier City (District 04: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, Desoto, Red River, Webster)

Please excuse the short notice. John asked that anyone who can please join him at this meeting to speak about prioritizing maintenance, updating transportation planning methods, and right-sizing our transportation infrastructure without additional revenues. A good summary of our issues can be found in a January 24th published letter to Governor Landry by the Louisiana 4-Corners Coalition for Transportation Planning Reform (La4CC), Louisiana’s future demands 21st century approach to transportation. As a La4CC member Allendale Strong collaborated in writing this letter / article.

The following is an excerpt from the LaDOTD website announcement linked above:

“All interested persons are invited for the purpose of becoming fully acquainted with the proposed program and will be afforded an opportunity to express their views in person. Oral testimony may be supplemented by presenting important facts and documentation in writing. Comments may also be provided at the above web address. All interested parties will be able to listen to the meeting by ZOOM. The ZOOM information will be posted on the Highway Priority Program web page at the above web address prior to the hearing. Written statements and comments can be handed to the committee conducting the hearing or mailed to the following address, postmarked within 45 calendar days following the final hearing:“

JOINT TRANSPORTATION, HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE

C/O LA DOTD (SECTION 85)
P.O. BOX 94245
BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9245

Last year Allendale Strong made an effective presentation that was reinforced by Representative Glover, a committee member. This year newly elected Representative Steven Jackson is on this committee.

Hope you can attend or submit written comments.
