Learning from the Netherlands, water infrastructure challenges equal design opportunities in New Orleans.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Waggonner & Ball saw an opportunity for New Orleans to become a sustainable city that embraced its lifeblood: water. Facilitated by the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Waggonner & Ball established cooperation with the Dutch National Ministries responsible for infrastructure, water management and spatial planning. This collaboration grew to include provincial and municipal governments, universities, Water Board officials, and private engineering and design firms.
Co-sponsored by the Dutch Embassy and the American Planning Association, three workshops were held in New Orleans from 2008 to 2010 to frame and address water challenges through a collaborative and holistic approach that aimed to increase value and safety at multiple scales. Our methodology begins with a regional awareness and layers strategies at increasingly higher resolutions in order to integrate systemic and structural measures.
Local and international urban design and water sector experts convened in New Orleans to reimagine how the fundamental qualities of water and the landscape can reshape the way we live in an urban delta. Proposals from these workshops led directly to the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan and the City of New Orleans’ successful application to the National Disaster Resilience Competition, which was awarded $141 million to fund the Gentilly Resilience District.
Working from the inside-out, Dutch practices and ideas to incorporate water into this specific urban area have been proposed, with opportunities sought that increase value as well as safety at multiple scales: regional, the polder, and watershed sub-basin. This process pioneered the Living With Water® movement in the New Orleans area, which continues to transform land use by focusing first on water.
Client
Pro Bono
Year
2008 – 2010
Area
169 SQ MI
Awards
AIA New Orleans Honor Award for Master Planning / Urban Design
AIA Louisiana Honor Award for Master Planning / Urban Design