The Gentilly Resilience District (GRD) is a combination of resilience programs and projects in the targeted area of Gentilly, designed to reduce flood risk, slow land subsidence, improve energy reliability and spur neighborhood revitalization.
The St. Bernard Neighborhood Campus project is being designed with multiple benefits - increasing the number of native plantings for shade and habitat, which will decrease urban heat effects and reduce flooding by storing stormwater on site before slowly releasing it into the drainage system. And while adrressing the environmental challenges of the community is paramount, the project also aims to demonstrate that resilient neighborhood-scale stormwater management can provide benefits far beyond the initial investment by revitalizing community access to varied recreational amenities.
This project will be constructed in three phases – Phase I is anticipated to begin in 4th Quarter 2020 and will be focused on the multi-functional athletic fields This will not only provide the community with a recreational amenity but will also serve the enhanced purpose of reducing flooding by storing up to 5 million gallons of stormwater in underground detention basins. The project design is currently at 90% design completion - the team will host a virtual community update meeting on August 20, 2020.
The Blue & Green Corridors project is being designed to combine rainfall management with symbiotic community benefits. Updates to the urban landscape along strategic ‘Corridors’, will create multimodal transportation connections, waterways that will retain rainfall, as well as public social spaces in the GRD.
Check out the recently installed signage along the Elysian Fields neutral ground at the intersections of Odin, Prentiss & Robert E. Lee.
The Arts Council New Orleans in partnership with the City of New Orleans called out to local artists to create Public Art Placemaking projects at key locations adjacent to the London Avenue Canal in the Gentilly Resilience District. The intention of these permanent art installations is to elevate public awareness and understanding of the canal and its importance to Gentilly as well as the city’s overall water and drainage infrastructure, excite the public imagination, engage residents. In doing so these projects will raise awareness about New Orleans ’climate vulnerability, resilience efforts, flood mitigation, and green infrastructure improvements while offering new amenities and recreation opportunities. Check out the project page to see the winning artists & their submissions and to view the Committee ZOOM meeting.