CivicCon Acadiana

“Get walkability right and the rest will follow.” This is the key factor that city planner and bestselling author Jeff Speck deems as the most meaningful indicator of a vibrant urban core, a main pillar of the Vibrant Acadiana initiative. Our urban core – including the areas surrounding Downtown Lafayette and UL Lafayette – is experiencing significant renewal and growth. This in turn has increased the desire for safe, interesting, and convenient access to our array of amenities by foot, commonly referred to as walkability.

Understanding the social, economic, and environmental benefits associated with walkability can enhance community engagement and provide an urban experience that attracts and retains both business and young talent to the Acadiana region.

This event is proudly presented by Downtown Lafayette and the William C. Schumacher Family Foundation and co-hosted by Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Ochsner Lafayette General, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

In partnership with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a survey to measure student’s perspectives towards the elements that have the greatest impact on their quality of life was conducted. Learn how the findings can be used to strengthen the ties between UL Lafayette students and the wider community, improve the student experience, and help retain more UL Lafayette graduates in the Acadiana region.

Finding and retaining talented professionals is a key investment for businesses to successfully compete. Increasingly, quality of life, including everything from education and healthcare options to community events, has become the deciding factor for many new college graduates. Understanding, from a student’s perspective, what makes Lafayette a great place to live, learn, and work is a critical component to retaining young talent in Acadiana.

This event is proudly presented by Rudick Construction Group and supported by the William C. Schumacher Family Foundation.

When considering attracting and retaining talent, conversations focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) have the potential to identify areas of opportunity that may be traditionally overlooked, while tapping into new skills and resources across the workforce with the goal of creating a people-centric environment.

Vincent R. Brown uncovers new insights and learn best practices related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging that can drive progress in making Acadiana the best possible place for business and talent to locate and stay.

This event is proudly supported by the William C. Schumacher Family Foundation and hosted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

While “placemaking” has become an understood and valued planning practice, many areas still face the challenge of proper investment in placemaking projects as critical infrastructure for healthy, thriving communities.

James Lima presents what placemaking means, why it’s so valuable to invest in, and how to create the types of places that attract and retain young talent.

This event is proudly presented by Parish Proud.

CivicCon Acadiana welcomed Dr. Ronald Ferguson, founder of The Basics – a strategy for whole communities to support vibrant learning and brain development among infants and toddlers.

Research shows 80% of brain development occurs before age 3, and learning gaps can appear before age 2. That’s why programs like The Basics, which recognize that education begins at home, are so critical to encourage parents and help communities work together to create a great environment for kids to grow up.

This event is proudly supported by the William C. Schumacher Family Foundation and hosted by Unitech Academy.

CivicCon Acadiana: Quality of Life, welcomes Quint Studer back to Lafayette to release the results of a Quality-of-Life (QOL) Survey. Survey results and a full recording of the event are available at – Quality of Life Survey.

This event is proudly presented by the William C. Schumacher Family Foundation and hosted by LHC Group.

Hear from Chuck Marohn, founder of “Strong Towns”. Through Chuck’s “Strong Towns” approach to development, we will uncover ways to help our communities become financially stronger, more resilient, and prosperous.

This event is proudly presented by Parish Proud and supported by the William C. Shumacher Family Foundation.

Watch as we unveil a new regional dashboard to track Acadiana’s key performance indicators, and uncover why the way we present Acadiana to others is so vital to our region’s success.

This event is proudly presented by William C. Shumacher Family Foundation and LHC Group, and proudly supported by Pinnacle Group, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, and the Acadiana Center for the Arts.

Expert facilitator, Quint Studer, leads evening talk to review our first topic of discussion within this overall series – Quality of Life in Lafayette, with a presentation on the results of a Quality-of-Life Survey conducted by national polling firm Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy.

This event is proudly presented by the William C. Schumacher Family Foundation and LHC Group.