The downtown area has been buzzing with activity and improvement throughout this academic year.
From remodeled parks to free outdoor activities, the Downtown Development District has executed numerous plans to make downtown a brighter, cleaner and livelier place to be.
In February, construction began to remodel Repentance Park, the green space between the River Center, City Hall and Old State Capitol.
The face-lift was intended to increase functionality and accessibility in the area.
“Having green space to utilize and use is paramount for building up a downtown area,” Davis Rhorer, DDD executive director, told The Daily Reveille in February.
North Boulevard Town Square, a one-acre green space near North Boulevard and Third Street, was officially completed in April.
Town Square features a media beacon, tables and chairs, a movie screen and a transit shelter for the Capital Area Transit System.
The area has since been used for outdoor meetings and free Zumba and yoga classes. Television personality
Andrew Zimmern also paid Town Square a visit Jan. 25 to film a segment for his MSN Web series, “Appetite for Life.”
Plans for the Downtown Greenway have progressed throughout the course of this year.
The Downtown Greenway is a 2.7-mile-long trail that would connect neighborhoods and seven parks spanning from City Park to Memorial Stadium and Goldsby Field.
In November 2011, The Daily Reveille reported that the DDD received $1.9 million in federal funding for the project.
The greenway will encourage redevelopment of the area and promote walking and biking, thus leading to healthier lifestyles, according to the DDD’s website.
“The most interesting aspect of it is the connectivity of different neighborhoods that are not connected now. It will break down the physical and psychological barriers around the [Interstate] 110 area,” Gabe Vicknair, DDD development project director, said in November.
The BR Walls Project will add some more color to the downtown area, as it will transform buildings into mural-covered edifices.
The BR Walls Project just met its fundraising goal and is making plans to start painting.
The Daily Reveille reported in March that four locations – The Buzz Café, Boudreaux and Thibodeaux’s, the Mentorship Academy and Harrington’s Café – have already been pegged to be painted.
Numerous new businesses have opened their doors downtown as well.
Aztecas Mexican Cuisine, The Bridal Shop, Karmady Yoga, Dragon Café and Zolia Italian Bistro are just a few of downtown’s new additions.  
____
Contact Emily Herrington at [email protected]