Shreveport, Louisiana, has been awarded the 2026 Bronze Excellence in Economic Development Award by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for its Block by Block neighborhood revitalization initiative and modernization of its permitting processes.

Community-Driven Revitalization

The Block by Block program was launched after Mayor Tom Arceneaux participated in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. The program brought together 25 city and community leaders to target neighborhood blight. Rather than imposing top-down policies, task force members collaborated directly with local residents.

During the initiative’s initial Clean Sweep phase in 2025, more than 300 volunteers conducted 11 cleanups across 13 weeks, removing 1,936 tons of debris and collecting 2,758 discarded tires.

Cutting Red Tape for Small Businesses

The city’s permitting modernization originated from Arceneaux’s Small Business Task Force, established to identify regulatory hurdles facing local entrepreneurs. The Department of Economic Development moved outdated paper-based applications online, modernizing permits for alcoholic beverage operator cards, liquor licenses, city vendor permits, and special event permits.

The city also extended the validity of alcoholic beverage operator cards from two to three years without increasing the fee and introduced an optional two-year liquor license for restaurants and grocery stores.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.