Upzoned – “What Happens When Official Decisions Clash With Community Traditions?”

Podcast: Upzoned
Host: Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (Director of Membership, Strong Towns)
Guest: Carly Om Lavar (Chief of Staff, Strong Towns, with deep Lafayette, LA experience)
Date: December 3, 2025
Main Theme: When Official Decisions Clash With Community Traditions—The Case of Lafayette’s Mardi Gras Parade Route

Episode Overview

This episode of Upzoned dives into a contemporary local controversy: the decision to change the Mardi Gras parade route in Lafayette, Louisiana. Traditionally a centerpiece of community life, the parade route was recently “reverted” to what city officials called a more historical path—one that is, in reality, shorter and excludes many neighborhoods. The conversation, led by substitute host Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman and guest Carly Om Lavar, explores how official decisions can conflict with long-standing community traditions and the wider implications for local culture, small businesses, and the urban fabric.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Mardi Gras: A Deep Cultural Anchor in South Louisiana

• Carly’s Context: Mardi Gras is “front and center” in Lafayette and many South Louisiana communities, shaping life for weeks, not just one day. (03:45–06:03)
• A Shared Touchstone: Residents speak of “Mardi Gras spots,” cherished gathering points for friends and family every year.

“It’s just a deep part of the cultural tradition... For that first part of the year, it is front and center for many folks who live here.”
— Carly Om Lavar (05:35)

2. The Controversial Parade Route Change

• What Happened: The mayor’s office, aiming for a nostalgic touch, moved the route back to a supposed “traditional” path through downtown Jefferson Street, shortening it by about two-thirds and excluding many neighborhoods (00:50–02:13, 06:03–08:38).
• Resulting Challenges:
  • Disruption for vendors and private property agreements.
  • Financial loss for churches that relied on parking revenue.
  • Traffic changes and impacts on landscaped downtown areas.
  • Concerns from small businesses and long-time parade spotters.
• Underlying Tension: Who is the parade really for: residents, businesses, out-of-town spectators, or the city’s image?

“There are churches that count on parking revenue that won't come to them now that the route has changed.”
— Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (02:13)

3. Questions of Ownership and Decision-Making

• Ambiguity in Governance: Confusion in the city about who really owns or runs the parade—city government, volunteers, or civic associations?
• Legal/Political Tangles: Even city attorneys were unsure whether a mayoral decision was valid or if past ordinances were in play (09:43–11:35).

“There was even confusion among... the attorneys on staff at the city as to whether or not there was an ordinance that governed this and... whether or not the mayor president's office had the ability to change it.”
— Carly Om Lavar (09:55)

4. Community Stakeholders and the “Right to the City”

• Norm’s Big Question: Who actually “owns” shared civic traditions like parades?
• Impact Across the Community: The parade is neither fully city-run nor purely grassroots—it’s a co-created event entangled in broader community, business, and neighborhood interests (08:38–12:30).
• Nostalgia vs. Problem-Solving: Was this change about addressing real problems or just recapturing a nostalgic vision of Lafayette for outsiders?

“Nostalgia necessarily [doesn’t] solve a problem... When we think of putting our best foot forward... Jefferson Street is certainly one of the key corridors that... is put on postcards.”
— Carly Om Lavar (13:02)

5. Strong Towns Perspectives: Incremental Change and Community Input

• The “Next Smallest Thing” Approach: Strong Towns' four-step approach to public investment: find where people struggle, make a small fix, and adapt (14:27–16:53).
• Alternative Pathways: Could the city have made the change more incrementally, or set up nimble processes to solve problems as they arise?
• Public Engagement: Reflects on missed opportunities for proactive, inclusive feedback before upending decades of continuity.

“I'd love to see instead this sort of nimble... ‘next smallest thing task force’... their responsibility is simply, if a property owner says, ‘Hey, I already leased the front yard and I feel like I'm going to be out,’ somehow figuring out, how do we work with you?”
— Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (15:30)

6. Winners, Losers, and the Risk of Entrenchment

• Residents’ Divided Reactions: For some, relief; for others, heartbreak. Future politics could see new “parade route” NIMBYism (19:38–23:02).
• Airbnbs and Business Impacts: Local rentals tout “on the parade route” as a selling point; sudden change impacts livelihoods.
• Formalization vs. Spontaneity: A proposed ordinance would create a committee for parade/street closure decisions—potentially bureaucratizing community events and spontaneous gatherings.

“Many of these Mardi Gras festivals were spontaneous gatherings... And now... every street closure is something that a committee has to review...”
— Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (23:02)

7. City Hall, Public Safety, and Who Gets to Decide

• Tension with Law Enforcement Input: Who serves whom—should public safety dictate the parade, or adapt to community wishes?
• “Cart Before the Horse”: Norm critiques the trend of letting safety professionals have veto over community events unless there’s an overwhelming reason (e.g., freeway crossings).

“We need to put that cart behind the horse again, which is: tell the route to the community safety professionals and say, ‘This is the route. …Your responsibility is to protect it.’”
— Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (25:12)

8. Desirability and Scarcity of Great Urban Spaces

• Why Jefferson Street?: If it's so prized, why haven’t more of Lafayette’s streets been allowed to develop similar character?
• Lessons from Urban Design: Many towns restrict the flourishing of new vibrant spaces due to outdated ordinances or a lack of vision (28:29–30:25).
• Metaphors and Missed Opportunities: Streets can be assets, not just transportation corridors. The risk: turning the best areas into static “museums” (31:10).

“Our downtowns are, are money pits—I mean, I'm sorry, money pots. They are, they're full of life.”
— Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (32:20)

9. Shared Civic Rituals and the Power of Community Pride

• A Living Test: One Strong Towns metric: if there were a revolution, do people instinctively know where to gather? For Lafayette, the answer is clear—whatever the route, community pride is potent (32:22–33:27).
• Harnessing—and Navigating—Strong Feelings: Controversy reveals how deeply people care about shared institutions, livelihoods, and sense of place.

10. Closing: The Unique Flavor of Lafayette Mardi Gras

• Family-oriented, Vibrant, Distinct: Lafayette’s Mardi Gras is inclusive and draws hundreds of thousands—“South Louisiana’s flagship” celebration. (36:21–38:42)
• What to Eat and Drink: Gumbo, king cake, and whatever’s local—“You can’t get bad food in South Louisiana.”
• Invitation to All: Carly welcomes listeners to visit and experience the festival themselves.

"If anybody's listening and they want to come visit, let me know because I'd love to show them around."
— Carly Om Lavar (37:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “To say that it is a big deal in the community is really an understatement.”
  — Carly Om Lavar (05:35)

• “There’s questions being raised about whose interests are being served.”
  — Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (02:13)

• “There have been significant community champions and volunteers who have taken a very active role... Those folks feel a lot of ownership.”
  — Carly Om Lavar (09:55)

• “Nostalgia necessarily [doesn’t] solve a problem.”
  — Carly Om Lavar (13:02)

• “When you think about that... it was a little bit amorphous in terms of who was in control because there were so many people depending on it.”
  — Carly Om Lavar (21:26)

• “Tell the route to the community safety professionals and say, ‘This is the route... Your responsibility is to protect it.’”
  — Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (25:12)

• “Our downtowns are... money pots. They are, they're full of life.”
  — Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (32:20)

• “Do people instinctively know where to gather to participate in... the life-giving activities of our communities?”
  — Norm Van Eenenaam Petersman (32:47)

Important Timestamps

• 00:50–02:13: Introduction to the parade route controversy
• 03:45–06:03: Mardi Gras’s deep cultural meaning in Lafayette
• 09:43–11:35: Ambiguities of “ownership” and decision authority over the parade
• 12:30–14:27: Motivation behind the city’s route change and its issues
• 15:30–16:53: Strong Towns’ incremental improvement philosophy
• 19:38–23:02: Resident reactions, entrenched interests, and new policymaking via ordinance
• 25:12–26:05: Public safety’s role in determining (vs. serving) community events

Tone & Takeaways

• Community-driven, Reflective, Slightly Wry: The conversation captures the pride and emotion surrounding civic traditions, mixing urbanist analysis with real-world concerns.
• No Simple Answers: The episode ends where it began—not with a resolution, but an invitation to consider how communities can better balance change, tradition, and the processes that mediate both.
• Practical Lessons: Beware top-down changes to bottom-up traditions; incrementalism and genuine engagement may yield less harmful, more community-minded solutions.

Further Listening/Reading

• Article discussed: “Residents, Crews, Downtown Businesses Weigh in on Jefferson Street Mardi Gras Parade Route” (Acadian Advocate)
• Strong Towns’ Four-Step Process to Public Investment
• Upzoned Podcast Archive for more on civic space and community traditions

Bonus: “Downzone” Book Recommendations

• Carly: Unreasonable Hospitality (on exceptional hospitality in the restaurant industry)—as inspiration for community culture
• Norm: An Ecologist Memoir of Loss and Hope by Kevin Van Tegham—reflection on ecological healing and parallel lessons for civic life

Summary compiled for listeners seeking the story behind Lafayette’s Mardi Gras route debate and the broader lessons in balancing official decisions with community traditions in American towns.