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Neighborhood

Mid-City Neighborhood Transformation

As a collaboration between the City of Lake Charles, the Lake Charles Housing Authority, and Urban Strategies, Inc. (USI), the purpose of Neighborhood is to enhance and accelerate community and economic development through Critical Community Improvement (CCI) projects. Our goals include increased livability and quality of life, improving access to parks and greenspace, deconcentrating poverty, and enabling a strong economy that provides the opportunity to thrive.

Join a Critical Community Improvement Committee

The Critical Community Improvement Advisory Committees are dedicated community-based action teams that meet six times a year for strategy development and resident-led success tracking. Your voice is needed!

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Critical Community Improvements

The Critical Community Improvement, or CCI, is a dynamic component of the Choice Neighborhoods program managed by the Neighborhood lead to leverage significant public and private dollars to support locally driven strategies through a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation. These strategies dreamed and designed by youth and adult residents, community stakeholders, and CN partners allows for equitable engagement that connects each transformation component to one another and supports the realization of their community.

The goals of the CCIs are to:

  • Increase livability and quality of life and property value
  • Improve the built environment with access to parks and greenspace
  • Deconcentrate poverty and foster diversity
  • Enable a diverse and strong economy that is adaptable and provides the opportunity to thrive

Parks & Greenspace

The proposed development in Mid-City creates opportunity for five acres of green space to be prioritized and with the neighborhood sharing proximity to the Contraband Bayou, it opens the door to water access for kayaks and other community amenities for residents and visitors alike. This design welcomes open air events and markets, multi-age accessible playgrounds, walking trails and boardwalks, and enough electrical, gas and broadband access to support these amenities.

Opportunity Hubs

The creation of the Mid-City Opportunity Hubs is a wealth-building strategy for all residents. Each Hub will operate as an opportunity to increase access to business development through a rent subsidy program, in partnership with USI’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and other community partners offering micro lending. These Hubs, coupled with the construction of new single-family housing, will open access to homeownership for resident. This design centers the economic and housing needs of the community within a strategically designed neighborhood asset.

Placemaking

Placemaking pays homage to Mid-City as the central corridor of the city by prioritizing strategies to increase beautification in the neighborhood while restoring the tree canopy. From temporary installations to permanent signage, placemaking activities can serve as both the signal for the start of change and memorializes and celebrating the history of Mid-City.

Interactive Dashboards

Have fun interacting with data! The below data dashboards and interactive maps allow you to view what is going on in Mid-City from the neighborhood perspective. All visual charts, graphs & maps are designed to be interactive. Which means anything you click on can change the results of what you view. Click, scroll, and navigate the data to discover what your neighbors say about the improvements. 

How to Use These Dashboards:

  • Refresh the browser to update and reset the dashboards. These dashboards are best viewed on a computer.
  • Dashboards are best viewed in “Full-Screen Mode”. Click the double-sided arrow in the bottom right-hand corner for this option.
  • To undo a result click the same feature a 2nd time OR use the “Clear Selections” icon which looks like an eraser and is located in the top right-hand corners of most of the selection boxes. If you do not see this icon active, just hover over the corner until it appears.
  • If you see any word underlined on a dashboard, this is an hyperlink to open up another piece of data or visual aid.
  • For a chart that is too small, use the “Focus Mode” icon to enlarge that specific data element. It will appear over the top right-hand corner when you hover or click a single item. This button looks like a square within a square with a small arrow pointing to the outside.

CNI Lake Charles Mid-City Neighborhood Interactive Project Maps

This series of Dashboards tracks the data that this project must report to HUD for annual progress and outcome results as well as community engagement efforts. Feel free to interact with the Data and explore the various aspects of Neighborhood Development that the Choice Neighborhood Initiative has reported thus far. Including but not limited to: Neighborhood Property Valuations, New Business Tracking, Project Partner Contributions and more… Check back regularly for project updates.

2026 Mid-City in Motion Day Resident Feedback Data

This series of Dashboards display the feedback received from local SWLA residents who attended the “Mid-City in Motion Day” Event at Prien Lake Mall on April 25, 2026 or participated in the post event survey concluded in June 2026. Reviewers can interact with the data that allowed locals to give feedback on the new amenities coming to the Transformation Zone located between Ryan & Nelson Streets and Sallier to I-210.  The purpose of the event and the post-event survey was to collect resident input on the Neighborhood Developments known as Critical Community Improvements (CCIs). CCI-1 A New Mid-City Park, CCI-2 Opportunity Hubs – Home & Business Ownership Pathways and CCI-3 Place Making (Beautification and dedicated Marketing of Public Spaces).