Government Street Demographics

There has to be an understanding of what Government Street is, and how it fits into the fabric of the city. It may seem common sense to lay all of this out, but it’s important to understand. I’ve done a quick analysis of Government Street.

Government Street in the Urban Context

I didn’t spend much time doing an in depth background on Government Street’s history. To tell you the truth, there isn’t much available on a quick Google search. This somewhat perplexes me because I’m from the Midwest. And in the Midwest the road/rail infrastructure is the backbone to historical development. Obviously, that’s probably not the case in Louisiana. But the road infrastructure has to hold some kind of dominance in development. So I made a few assumptions. 

Jefferson Highway was probably part of the original Jefferson Highway which ran along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Winnipeg Canada. Government Street connects Jefferson Highway to downtown, which comes from New Orleans (now Airline Highway), and the Mississippi to Geismar. 

The Jefferson Highway/Government Street is one of several major connections that lead into the city. (River Road, Highland Road, Choctaw Drive, Greenwell Springs, Plank Road, and Scenic Highway were probably the other major connectors). Since Government Street is an older road, it is more dense and urban oriented. Because of this, Florida Boulevard and Interstate 10 were built to allow for heavier volumes of traffic.

This allows Government Street to be more centered on neighborhoods, and not high speed traffic, allowing several commercial centers to be located along Governments. The major center is downtown where Government Street ends/begins. After leaving downtown, the road is primarily residential with a minor commercial intersection at 19^th/Park Street. Heavy commercial doesn’t pick back up until the street reaches the Eugene Street and Acadian Thruway strip. Afterwards, residential is primarily on the side streets with less dense commercial lining Government Street itself. The final cluster of commercial is along the Foster Drive and Jefferson Highway strip. This is the most intense strip along Government Street, after downtown.

Government Street in the Social Context

I've done a quick analysis of the social context of Government Street. Given these are all 2000 numbers (specific block numbers won't be done until 2010). But it still gives a good picture of what the street "is". (Raw statistics used, and block groups (|)(|).

Taking a quick look at the density around Government Street is a good to find if the area is dense enough to not only support commercial activity, but walkable commercial activity. Here is a map of Government Street's Density (map), as compared to mid city (map), and the city (map). (Density by blocks for Block Group 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19).

With my limited understanding, Baton Rouge has been a divided city since (probably) the 1950s. That divide has fluculated between Choctaw and Government Street. That can still be reflected today in both race (map) and income (map). 

Government Street itself has some interesting statistics.

Age. The medium age along Government Street is fairly low. Especially if you compare it to the rest of the city (map).

Home Value. The values of homes along Government Street are very diverse. Which probably reflects in the reasons that both the young professionals, and families, live along the street.

Income. Similar to the housing values, a wide range of incomes are found along the street. Sometimes in the "business world" this creates a stignitisum (map). But this is contrary. Any similar situation around the country allows for increase buying power because of density (map), and a more vibrant setting because of diversity.

Commute. The majority of people along Government Street use their car to get to work. And are driving further to work, than the rest of the city (map). Which means that Government Street is not an employment center, itself. However, it will be interesting to see the 2010 census, because downtown is a much larger employment center than in 2000. This will change the dynamics of this statistic. 

Transportation. Although the majority of people along Government Street own a car, it's amazing the amount of households in Mid City that do not (map). This couples with the amount of people that rely on public transit for their transportation (map).

This gives Government Street three elements for a successful urban street.

Diversity of Government Street. The mix of income, race, and age gives the street an ecliptic feel, which is why current businesses and residents locate along Government Street.

Buying power along Government Street is high. Not only are there a mixed level of densities, but the young single adults typically spend more. 

The urban environment already present along makes it ideal for multiple forms of transportation. 

Purpose of this blog

I moved to Baton Rouge in 2006. Honestly, the first time I visited Government Street I wasn't impressed. When I came to Baton Rouge I moved to Spanish Town to try and get some urban lifestyles out of Baton Rouge, so obviously I had to leave downtown to do all my shopping. (Minus the Spanish Town market, which is was awesomly amazing - yes, that's an adjective). After a year in Baton Rouge I decided to buy a place. I had been in the city a year and come to the realization of the resources midcity, and more centrally Government Street, provided. Along the three and a half mile stretch are numerous art shops, restaurants, supermarkets, and services; beginning at the Mississippi River to the visual terminus at Jefferson Highway. Many neighborhoods line the street from lower income communities to high valued homes, and everything in between.

All of these positive qualities scream urban lifestyle, something that seems to be lacking in Baton Rouge. Why the urban lifestyle is missing is a mystery. Historically Louisiana is an urban state. The automobile has only been present for fifty years, while the Acadians settled here in the late 1700's and New Orlean's was founded fifty years before. Although Baton Rouge originate until after New Orleans, and (lets face it) lacks the cultural beginnings of Southern Louisiana, its a mystery why Baton Rouge didn't inherited some of the popular traits of New Orleans. The same traits which makes it famous worldwide. Instead, we have seen our urban landscape collapse to the vehicle in as little as thirty years. The car, while convenient (and the enables us to sing out loud), it comes with a lot of costs to both ourselves and society. Death, obesity, monetary, etc. People have been known to give up habits relating to just one of these problems. Yet the majority of people won't give up the automobile, even while being suffocated by all three. Every day we step into the car and partake in the most dangerous activity most of us will ever partake (and I'm paying an extra mortgage for this privilege).

So a year later I purchased a townhouse in midcity. I am now within a mile of Calandros, Piggly Wiggly, Albertsons, YMCA, La Caretta, Phil Brady's, the Jumbala Shop, Rolly Polly, Jack in the Box, Cains, Smoothi King, Popeyes, Oriental Pearl, Sonic, Opies, Albasha, Brew HaHa, Serops... gasp; and on and on. The majority of people in Baton Rouge need their car and ten miles (with millions of infrastructure taxes) to access all of these. I just need a five foot sidewalk, which I have (if I'm not in a wheel chair, or it hasn't rained in two days, or the utility company hasn't ripped out the sidewalk). So I walk all these places. Yet I still am taking my life into my own hands. I'm walking within feet of cars traveling at forty miles an hour, dodging cars backing out of parking spaces, crossing countless curb cuts; all while viewing awful urban landscapes.

Yet I still love it. The residents are ecliptic, forward thinking, and diverse. It's a planners wet dream. The social qualities of this area are unprecedent across the country. Yet it looks ugly. Virtual culture, if I may (Sonjay). Not pretty to look at, but give it a week and you love it here.

So what are the problems? The entries to follow will focus on in depth analysis of the urban qualities of Government Street that (I feel) need 'tweaked'. This includes (but won't be limited to) entries relating to sidewalks, transit, traffic, design guidelines, and street side appearance. Government Street has all the physical needs, it just needs infrastructure (both private and public). The city has done an amazing job fixing the downtown in these aspects, which is vital to the entire city's success. But we need investment (not just new traffic signals) in our neighborhoods.