The project, led by Gensler, will span 39 acres of residential units, retail, and cultural attractions.
New Orleans "is slated to join the nationwide trend towards megadevelopments with the 39-acre River District, a new 2.4 million square-feet mixed-use district upriver from New Orleans’s Crescent City Connection Bridge," writes Matthew Marani in The Architect's Newspaper. The project's design will be led by Gensler and a group of partners known as the River District Neighborhood LLC. "In its proposal, the River District Neighborhood noted that the project will include over 1,000 market-rate residential units, 450 workforce and affordable housing units, a 750,000 square-foot corporate campus, as well as a number of cultural attractions, retail and dining, hotels, public parks, art installations, and the Louisiana Civil Rights Museum."
The first phase of construction, which is scheduled to start this year and last until 2023, " will focus on road and sidewalk construction and other infrastructure improvements, as well as the museum, nearly 100,000 square feet of retail, and two hotels." The proposal, Marani says, "does attempt to connect to the city at large through several planning features, namely the potential $40 million extension of the Riverwalk streetcar line into the area, a number of protected bike lanes, as well as pedestrian-friendly street layouts." Addressing criticism about displacement, the developers claim that "approximately 30 percent of retail space will be reserved for disadvantaged business enterprise, also known as DBEs, and that the River District Neighborhood LLC counts 27 percent African American equity ownership as well as 18 percent women equity ownership."
FULL STORY: Gensler to lead design of the $1 billion New Orleans River District
When The Planners Go Marching In
There’s just one problem with academia. Sometimes it can be so … academic. In the interest of getting out into the world, I’m writing this post from Nawlins (nee New Orleans), where 16 other Penn planners and I are spending our weeklong spring break doffing our tops for beads and booze doing pro bono city planning work. For most of us, it’s been nothing short of a paradigm shift—and the week ain’t over yet.
Friday Funny: Rats Prefer Manhattan
Rats choose Manhattan because if its logical street grid, according to new research by a team of zoologists and geographers at Tel Aviv University, who are using rats to test wayfinding in cities.
How Cities Can Avoid Perpetuating Segregation
Residents of big cities, known as the ‘melting pots’ of America, have fewer interactions with people outside their socioeconomic group than those in smaller communities, according to new research.
Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023
The world is changing, and planning with it.
Chicago Red Line Extension Could Transform the South Side
The city’s transit agency is undertaking its biggest expansion ever to finally bring rail to the South Side.
How Paris, Texas Became a ‘Unicorn’ for Rural Transit
A robust coalition of advocates in the town of 25,000 brought together the funding and resources to launch a popular bus service that some residents see as a mobility lifeline—and a social club.
Seattle’s Bike Infrastructure Hamstrings Growth
Design standards that call for minimal road space allocated to bikes are limiting the growth of cycling in the city.
Winter Fun at Los Angeles County Parks
L.A. County is offering a winter edition of its popular and award-winning Parks After Dark program, providing opportunities for residents to come together and have fun in safe and welcoming spaces.
Sacramento Council Approves Upzoning Proposal
If given final approval, the plan would increase the allowable floor area ratio to permit denser housing development in single-family neighborhoods and near transit.
City of Kissimmee - Development Services
City of Kissimmee - Development Services
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Park City Municipal Corporation
National Capital Planning Commission
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
