Making Jefferson Parish Beautiful

Jefferson Parish presently faces a number of crucial quality of life challenges. From improving the level of flood protection, to addressing blight and crime, to developing a stronger public education system, Jefferson Parish must build on existing efforts to offer an overall quality of life that is competitive with other communities in the New Orleans region and beyond. In light of concerns about core quality of life issues such as crime and public education, it is perhaps surprising that aesthetics would also be considered a critical issue. After all, aesthetic issues are typically accorded a kind of secondary status. Everyone agrees that a physically attractive community is preferable to one that is unattractive, but aesthetics are generally considered “lagniappe”— something to be discussed after the major issues have already been addressed.

Not only does this line of thinking present a kind of false dichotomy between “major” quality of life issues on the one hand and supposedly minor, aesthetic issues on the other but it also ignores the tremendous role that aesthetics can play in preserving and enhancing the prosperity of a given community. The most important, most immediate role that aesthetics can play is that they provide the basis for one’s first impression of a given area. A person may perceive a place to be decaying, prosperous, aging, vital, or any number of other qualities on the basis of what he or she observes in the built environment. A community’s overall aesthetic quality, therefore, functions as its “front door” to the outside world. Even for longtime residents, the built environment provides a kind of physical cue as to the health of their neighborhood. Visible decay signals disinvestment and can function as an early warning signal to residents that a move to a different area would be prudent. On the other hand, a tidy, aesthetically pleasing neighborhood offers tangible evidence of prosperity and desirability.

Emerging research has actually documented the effect that aesthetic quality can have upon decisions to reinvest or move to a different jurisdiction. Research suggests that a principal characteristic of those older suburban communities that have thrived in spite of their age is that they have a unique “sense of place” and an intrinsic aesthetic appeal that helps them to retain their middle class population. An ambitious, concerted effort to improve the quality of the built environment in Jefferson Parish could likewise attract significant reinvestment capital.

Because research has linked aesthetic quality with retaining and attracting a strong middle class population, beautification should indeed be considered a principal quality of life issue in Jefferson Parish. It should also be evident that the aesthetic status quo in Jefferson leaves much to be desired. From well kept neighborhoods to readily accessible parks and playgrounds, Jefferson does have many attractive characteristics; but in comparison to thriving suburban communities throughout the country and even elsewhere in Louisiana, Jefferson is unquestionably in need of a facelift.

Fortunately, the residents, businesses, and political leadership in Jefferson are increasingly aware of the importance of aesthetic issues and the need for significant improvements to the status quo. The grassroots efforts of the business community and nonprofit groups such as Friends of Jefferson the Beautiful and Jefferson Beautification, Inc. cannot be understated. In recent years, the parish has witnessed unprecedented public-private beautification partnerships, aggressive code enforcement to tackle blight, and ambitious new landscaping improvements and public art installations.

At the same time, intensified action and a new beautification paradigm in Jefferson are needed. Many efforts to date have focused on the “low hanging fruit,” such as planting additional trees, making modest improvements to landscaping, and improving maintenance and trash pickup along major roadways. The overall aesthetic of Jefferson Parish—particularly as its principal, most visible thoroughfares are concerned—can only be truly transformed through a more expanded and holistic effort. Such an effort would have to address both the major regulatory changes and the major capital investments that are needed to achieve significant, lasting aesthetic improvements—the kind of improvements that will help to draw substantial reinvestment to the community.

View the full list of beautification improvements

Beautification Status Report 1, March 2009 (PDF - 7 Pages - 389 KB)

Beautification Status Report 2, October 2009 (PDF - 7 Pages - 378 KB)

Download the full strategic implementation plan

Jefferson EDGE 2020 Strategic Implementation Plan - Beautification Report (PDF - 4.7 MB)