Today on Louisiana Considered, we learn about a new play center coming to Children’s Hospital New Orleans. We also hear about updated bus routes in New Orleans and learn why activists in the Gulf South are calling for housing that’s adapted for climate change. This episode of Louisiana Considered originally aired on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. To hear the full episode, click the “play” button above.

Children’s Hospital New Orleans recently announced plans to build a new 12,000-square-foot, $10-million-dollar play area. According to organizers, the area is meant to provide a place for children who are undergoing treatment to imagine, learn, play, and enrich themselves in an environment that looks and feels a little less clinical. It will be called “Walker’s Imaginarium,” named after Walker Beery, a pediatric cancer patient at the hospital who died last year.

To learn more about these plans, we spoke with Taylor Beery, Walker’s father. He told us about plans for the imaginarium and more about the foundation his son started with his family, Kids Join the Fight.

Public transportation in New Orleans just went through its first major redesign since Hurricane Katrina. Starting just two weeks ago in late September, bus routes across town saw big changes – which means many transit riders have seen their regular commutes change, too.

WWNO’s News Director Patrick Madden spoke with New Orleans metro reporter Carly Berlin, who got on the bus last week to see how riders are reacting to the changes.

Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi rank among the bottom ten states in the country when it comes to providing housing that’s affordable, healthy, and adapted to a changing climate. That’s according to a new scorecard from a climate change research organization.

As Taylor Washington from the Gulf States Newsroom reports, activists are hoping the report will give states a roadmap to address growing threats from climate change.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our digital editor is Katelyn Umholtz. Our engineers are Garrett Pittman, Aubry Procell, and Thomas Walsh. 

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:30 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. 

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