The City of Shreveport’s “Block by Block” cleanup campaign has finished its first phase, and the numbers tell a story of transformation. Over the course of just a few months, the city and its volunteers cleared more than 800 tons of litter and debris, collected thousands of old tires, and helped restore a sense of pride in neighborhoods across Shreveport.
Shreveport: A Community United
From June through September, city crews and volunteers fanned out across eleven neighborhoods including Cedar Grove, Queensborough, Mooretown, Broadmoor, and Southern Hills. In all, they removed 810.9 tons of waste, that’s nearly 1.8 million pounds, and picked up 3,035 discarded tires. More than 300 registered volunteers joined the effort, with many more showing up on-site to help.
Firefighters from the Shreveport Fire Department added a safety component by going door to door, installing 50 free smoke detectors and checking hundreds of others to make sure they were working properly.
“A Community Comeback”
Mayor Tom Arceneaux said the impact goes far beyond the cleanup numbers.
“Block by Block is more than a cleanup, it’s a community comeback,” Arceneaux said. “What started as an idea to fight blight has become a movement powered by pride, service, and collaboration. I’m incredibly proud of what our citizens and city teams have accomplished together.”
Roots of the Program
The program launched in 2024 after Mayor Arceneaux’s involvement in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, which helps cities develop bold, data-driven solutions. From that partnership came the framework for a citywide approach to blight: clean one neighborhood at a time, and do it with help from residents themselves.
Participating agencies include Public Works, Property Standards, SPAR, SPORTRAN, Shreveport Green, and members of the City Council, all working alongside volunteers and community groups.
What’s Next for Shreveport’s Block by Block
Officials say Phase II of Block by Block is already being planned, with an expanded focus and deeper neighborhood partnerships…