Mr. Burnham

Yeah, in the speech he talked about helping Baton Rouge and the city's future. Also about the city getting federal dollars to fix traffic problems...then ended by saying "Thanks, New Orleans"...no one really cared.

Yes. This can not be more true. Well, at least he a JBE have raised federal attention for the traffic in Louisiana and we may be getting 100 million to fix it. Apparently they talked to Obama about it and he is going to try and push it.

Would have been a brilliant Lt. Governor.

I've got connections . Went straight there after the inauguration...so around 4.

I will be there! Very Excited to see him...it's funny...I'm a Republican, but over the past week I've been a guest at so many Democrat events.

Well it's because we are the first deep south state to get Obamacare #thanksJBE In all honesty though, we know the interstate will probably be shut down...so, yeah, Thursday is going to really suck.

Most people think Disney World is in Orlando...it's really in Kissemee...being around the world people actual know what Orlando and some Tampa than when I talk about Baton Rouge. Americans may be that stupid, but Europeans surprisingly know a lot about American geography...then again that's just my own personal experience. And yeah, the 'NOLA = Cajun food' really, really pisses me off.

Looking forward to some renderings/construction.

I'm not talking about places like Baker, Zachary, and Central, I'm talking about the massive swath of land called St. George. That land had no true disconnect from the actual city of Baton Rouge like other areas do. Not to mention that is probably the only area in the parish so connected to the main city. I mean, we can pull up maps if you want, but there are 100,000 people living in Baton Rouge, but in unincorporated highly developed land. As a former Floridian, I can say that yes, Tampa and Miami are in most respects treated equally. You have to understand that unlike Louisiana, Florida has done a very good job of spreading out different economic powerhouses. No city really gets more attention than the other, if there is that gets too much attention it's probably Orlando because of the massive Theme Park Industry there. Contained within the dark blue 'Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA' is 2.7 million people. However, nearly all entities at the state level (which we are arguing over how does the state treat other cities comparatively) include the Tampa - St. Peterburg - Clearwater MSA, Sarasota - Bradenton MSA, Lakeland - Winterhaven MSA, and Citrus Country. Even our local transportation authority uses this larger definition. The population here is 4.3 million. This all based on commuter patterns and influence.

Those numbers do not factor in the fact that Baton Rouge has 100k people living south of city limits and north of parish limits that is unincorporated. Baton Rouge's population is around 330k to be more accurate and account for people that live in BR, but not legally speaking. Not to mention, the EBR Parish population is 400k, Orleans is 380k. A 20k difference, but still it means that depending on how you look at it, Baton Rouge is larger. Now, I will say Baton Rouge is smaller metro wise than New Orleans, but even though Miami is a million people larger than Tampa, the two cities are seen as equals. My larger point is that the relationship between Baton Rouge and New Orleans should be more equal. The two cities should be speaking on equal terms, because for all intensive purposes, the two cities are roughly the same size. The entire dynamic that exists where New Orleans is King (even though they only have 400k more people) is not only harmful for them, but it is hurting the entire state. As a native, of the state, yes. Miami is still valued, but who brings in more tourists? Orlando. Who is attracting the most families? Tampa. Who is seeing more investment and development? Miami. Each of our largest cities have areas where they out perform the other and under-perform and this causes the relationship between them to be more equal and for our legislature to treat them as more equal entities. In Florida we do not have as massive a superiority complex as cities here in Louisiana do. You are correct, but metro populations are still very deceiving and in many cases numbers are larger than they should be because of parishes or counties that are absorbed to boost numbers. Both Baton Rouge and New Orleans are guilty of this. Houston is a wonderful example of this. Metro numbers are iffy and they are subjective depending how they are being looked at. Of course this doesn't change the fact that Baton Rouge is smaller than New Orleans, but I would argue that the difference is not as massive as certain numbers seem to suggest. And of course it's not going to happen in 20 years, but I would say in 30 years Baton Rouge will be the states largest city, whether it is within limits or in the metro. The Tampa Bay Area population is 4,310,524 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Area; " The population of the Tampa Bay Area is estimated at 4,310,524 people as of 2012. The Tampa Bay Partnership and U.S. Census data showed an average annual growth of 2.5 percent, or a gain of approximately 97,000 residents per year between 2000 and 2006, growing from 3.4 million to 3.9 million and hitting the 4 million mark on April 1, 2007.[7][7] A 2012 estimate of the Tampa Bay Area shows a projection of about 4.7 million residents by 2017" We need them, they need us. They do not want us, and though it seems archaic I don't think Baton Rouge should wast its time trying to engage New Orleans in a one-sided love.

I would agree. Multiple successful small districts will lead to larger overall success for the entire area.

Jacksonville has a metro population of 1.4 million people Miami has a metro population of 5.1 million. My hometown of Tampa is at a comfortable 4.3 million people in the metro Orlando comes in third with a population of 2.2 million people However, all of these cities can work together in order to bring progress and development to the entire state. No city is more valued than another.

New Orleans is barely larger than Baton Rouge, and not to mention the two cities pull very equal weight. New Orleans, simply by being the largest city (barely so I might add), does not give them the right to walk all over the entire state, nor does it give them the right to demand the rest of the state fund an entire NOLA *exclusive* industry. Look at my home state of Florida; Miami is our largest city, but Tampa and Orlando and Miami all work together and try to grow one anothers industries. The cities work together to help the state and no city is so visibly valued more than others like New Orleans is here in Louisiana. The same thing in Texas even though Houston and Dallas are two of the nations five largest cities. Louisiana, for some extremely strange reason puts New Orleans above all else and I believe the vast public is sick of it, especially when metro regions like Baton Rouge and to smaller extents Lafayette and Shreveport are growing to not only be able to compete with cities nationally, but to rival New Orleans power. As I've pointed out in the past, Baton Rouge's metro population is only 200,000 short of New Orleans. And the New Orleans population numbers are very misleading given the parishes it apparently covers. If anything I would say the two cities, population wise are extremely even. When it comes to economic activity, while Baton Rouge is not near New Orleans in terms of start-ups, Baton Rouge is rising up. This city is rising to not only rival New Orleans, but I think it ultimately will outgrow New Orleans. The bottom line is that New Orleans can not expect the rest of the state to sacrafice and fund them if they are not going to do the same. It must be a mutually beneficial relationship and if its not? Well once BR, Lafayette, and Shreveport really can overpower New Orleans, they will, and New Orleans will be royally screwed.

I actually agree with all of this. Why is it that Baton Rouge and Lafayette can not come together to create the political muscle necessary to beat New Orleans down.

Here's to the continuing trend of a dense Baton Rouge in 2016!

Hopefully BR will one day have a skyline that stretches along the river, works in to midcity, and then has outlying skylines surrounding it in the Health District, Denham, Central, Zachary, and Gonzales.

No, all countries use highspeed rail to connect city to city. Trust me, I've been.

Crazy skyline/poster edit I made. Meant to depict a fake city skyline mashed with University Lakes. It consists of the skylines of BR, Stuttgart TV Tower, and Columbus Ohio's skyline.

That's an awesome fudgeing name.

They use this in Tampa...I miss them.

This is exactly what Delgado was trying to do...so how is that a bad thing?

Completely agree with you guys, and yeah I guess they did look at my proposal I think this is even better! Would be fantastic!

They've been like this for years, look how much change they've done. NBR is as much our city as SBR is. We're all Baton Rouge. I say Delgado and the other Republicans should just be like, "Fine, you don't want our help? Well then we're building a bigger and better Airport in the South and a new zoo." if NBR continues to act like this. Jesus Christ knows they would be more successful in the South.

That was my first thought too...looks a lot like the Bean mixed with Toronto's International Terminal's entrance sculpture...don't like the random balls at either side. No, it's just really cool. The Face Sculpture is though...I love Millennium Park, probably one of the best public spaces in the nation, I wish we could build something similar here in BR. Face Sculpture, Millennium Park, Chicago

Metro Council members want John Delgado to butt out of north Baton Rouge economic development plan The argument over how to improve economic development in depressed areas of north Baton Rouge is intensifying, with East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council members representing the poorest parts of the parish banding together to ask Councilman John Delgado to butt out. On Wednesday, Councilwoman Chauna Banks-Daniel tried to block Delgado’s recent proposal to create an economic development district in north Baton Rouge, asking that it be deleted from the agenda so it would never be discussed or voted on by the council. Her attempt to block what ordinarily would be the routine business of introducing an item on the agenda failed. But she had the support of the other four black councilwomen who represent parts of north Baton Rouge, which includes Scotlandville and other depressed parts of the parish. The rest of the council, all white Republicans representing south Baton Rouge or the northern rural suburban areas, voted to preserve the item, which won’t come to a council vote until next month. Delgado’s south Baton Rouge district is among the parish’s most prosperous. In recent weeks, Banks-Daniel has been critical of the proposal Delgado has floated to spur economic activity in her district. She described his interest in north Baton Rouge as a veiled attempt to curry favor with black voters in his likely run for mayor-president in 2016. In an email to The Advocate, she referred to him as the “great white hope.” After the action on Wednesday, Delgado said he was blown away by his colleagues, adding that their constituents should be angry their elected representatives would choose politics over progress. “The fact is that while they have sat there for years and years and years, politicians in north Baton Rouge have done very little to help the residents they claim to represent,” Delgado said, adding that the attempt to delete his item was “stupid and childish.” “It’s offensive to me, and it should be outrageous to the people who live there. I’m trying to help the people, while Chauna Banks-Daniel is putting politics over the needs of her constituents,” he said. “Honestly, this is why nothing has been done to help north Baton Rouge ever.” Banks-Daniel said this week she didn’t want Delgado’s agenda item to conflict with work that’s already underway being led by state Sen.-elect Regina Barrow, who has passed legislation to create an economic development districtthat would pull together leaders to try to bring projects to the area. Delgado’s proposal, in contrast, would have made developers in the district eligible for property tax breaks. Banks-Daniel said she believes Barrow already is planning to expand her district’s proposed boundaries and will include funding mechanisms and incentives with upcoming legislation. Councilwoman Donna Collins-Lewis said she also voted to delete Delgado’s proposal because she thinks he should work with Barrow and others who have been working on a plan for the area. “There’s a district that’s been established by Rep. Barrow, so if he wants to work in conjunction with them, then that’s what he needs to do,” Collins-Lewis said. She also called his motives into question, saying that when Delgado first took office, he voted against an important measure benefiting north Baton Rouge residents in Scotlandville. The measure involved spending millions of dollars to relocate residents living adjacent to the smelly, unsightly North Baton Rouge Treatment Plant. “It’s funny to me now that John Delgado wants to create a district to help people in north Baton Rouge when he voted against the buyout for the people near the sewer plant,” she said. Banks-Daniel, in an email, said she’s been fielding many calls from residents and developers in north Baton Rouge recently who have expressed confusion about Delgado’s desire to lead on the economic development issue when community leaders are working toward that end. She took a shot at Delgado’s own district, saying she’s received communications from his constituents who “would like me to come help them resolve their issues, because there apparently is a myriad of concerns that they are not pleased about.” Councilwoman Tara Wicker said she’s not concerned about who gets credit for helping north Baton Rouge but agreed that Delgado’s attempts to create an economic development district may duplicate what Barrow has started. She said she didn’t want constituents to be confused about the process and wanted to ensure the stakeholders involved were at the table. “I don’t want to prevent any economic development from happening, but I don’t want residents to get confused,” Wicker said. “We slowed it down to make sure there’s an education plan in place. We want that process to be respected and honored.” Councilwomen C. Denise Marcelle and Ronnie Edwards also voted to delete Delgado’s proposal. These people from NBR is why nothing ever gets done, they keep the politics of division alive and well. Delgado is trying to help the city grow and they're blocking it because it does not agree with their politics. I wish Kip could be Mayor-President for life because I have a feeling things are gonna get nasty with him gone.