3DCity-Works

=20 December 2008

City-Works=20 Newsletter

DONATE=20 NOW!

3D"City-Works
Please = Donate to=20 City-Works=20

In=20 This Issue

Work=20 in Gentilly

Lights=20 on Main

Recovery=20 Snapshots=20

3D"Join

City-Works

Visit=20 Us!

Neighborhood=20 Profile=20 = Map

American=20 Institute of Architects look at Gentilly
AIA=20 SDAT with City-Works

The AIA completed their = Sustainable=20 Design Assessment (SDAT) of Gentilly earlier this month. The = team=20 recognized the real strengths of the Gentilly community, = including=20 their willingness to participate in rebuilding, the assets = of four=20 major universities, as well as some really exciting projects = already=20 underway. While these core strengths are critical for = success, the=20 team also noted some important
weaknesses, chief among = them a=20 lack of coordination between the different projects and the = lack of=20 visible progress towards rebuilding.

This = recognition that=20 extensive planning for the community followed by inaction = was=20 further damaging Gentilly drove the team away from a = traditional=20 assessment into direct recommendations for action. Most = importantly,=20 the actions suggested were tasks the community can take on = without=20 government assistance -- action the community can take to = help=20 themselves.

The full report will be available on the = AIA=20 website shortly, and we will cover more of the details of = the AIA=20 report in coming months. If you have any questions about the = report,=20 or would like to see and comment on an early draft copy, = please=20 contact Jim=20 Livingston.

Season's=20 Everyone!

We=20 have had two very successful events in December. = First, our=20 Lights on Main Pride Project has been highly regarded, = earning=20 us kudos from the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The = second was=20 our work with the American Institute of Architects = Sustainable=20 Design Assessment Team in Gentilly. The team was = tasked with=20 coming to a quick understanding of a very complicated = problem=20 in Gentilly and did an outstanding job providing the = community=20 with an innovative tool to help the neighborhood = become more=20 sustainable.

For information on these two = exciting=20 events,

Read more below:=20 =

Lights=20 on Main
December=20 Pride Project on New Orleans' Main Streets

This = year,=20 the four state-designated Urban Main Streets in New = Orleans=20 (Oak Street, OC Haley Boulevard, North Rampart Street = and St.=20 Claude Avenue) participated jointly in the first ever = Lights=20 on Main event. Together City-Works and our partners = supplied=20 the Main Street managers with strands of holiday = lights that=20 encouraged other businesses to light the streets.=20

Lights on Main is our first Pride Project, an = effort=20 by City-Works to encourage more ownership and = investment from=20 within a community with small projects can catalyze = visible=20 change. City-Works, in conjunction with Stay Local!,=20 Preservation Resource Center, and the Louisiana = Landmarks=20 Society showed what a little light can do for our = Urban Main=20 Streets. Thanks to all businesses and partners who = made this=20 project successful.

Funding for these Pride = Projects=20 come from Entergy Corporation.

3D"French
"The=20 Lights on Main event really made a difference on our = street"=20 said Lynette Colin, Main Street manager for O.C. Haley = Blvd.,=20 "You can drive down at night and see how many active=20 businesses there are on the street."

"On = North=20 Rampart Street, the Lights on Main event really = brought=20 businesses and people together in a way that we have = not seen=20 before," said June Rogers, committee co-chair for the = North=20 Rampart Main Street Design Committee. "Everyone was = excited to=20 participate and the few lights we did provide = catalyzed more=20 businesses to participate."

The lights, = purchased=20 from Oak Street Ace Hardware, succeeded in bringing = residents=20 and merchants together to celebrate the revitalization = of=20 their local Main Streets. A collaborative and = simultaneous=20 lighting on December 3rd showed the city the = collective reach=20 of these Main Streets. The lights will stay on through = the=20 holiday season.

Winners for the = 2008=20 Lights on Main event were:

Best=20 Overall Participation: Oak Street Main Street=20
Best=20 of Show: French Quarter Suites Hotel -- North = Rampart Main=20 Street =20
Most=20 Creative: Zeitgeist/Saturn Screen Printing -- O.C. = Haley=20 Main Street=20
Most=20 Original Theme: Central City Renaissance Alliance - = O.C.=20 Haley Main Street

Awards=20 were donated by Il Posto Cafe, Slice Pizzeria, Cork = and Bottle=20 Wine Shop, and Swirl Wine Market. Oak Street Ace = Hardware=20 donated additional lights and cords for the project.=20

To see all the award winners and a selection = of=20 photographs from the Lights on Main event, Click=20 = HERE>>>

Recovery=20 Snapshots
Lights=20 on Main - Urban Main=20 Streets

3D"North Lights=20 on Main has extended holiday lighting from Canal = Street=20 to
neighborhood main streets all over town. = Oak=20 Street, O.C. Haley
Boulevard, North Rampart Street, = and St.=20 Claude Avenue became state designated Main Streets in = 2007 and=20 are currently home to a wealth of local business = activity and=20 determination -- now evident even at night when most=20 businesses are closed. We hope you enjoy the = lights and=20 support your local businesses this holiday = season. We=20 look forward to
continuing work with all our Main = Street=20 partners on collective
activities and events in the = year=20 ahead. =

Website=20 of the Month

3DHollygrove The=20 Hollygrove Farmer's Market has taken off. Weekly boxes = of=20 Community Supported Agriculture, most grown in = Southeast=20 Louisiana, are available in Hollygrove. For more about = the=20 market, and how to sign up for a box of produce = through their=20 Buyers Club, click HERE>>>

City-Works=20 is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the long-term=20 sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans' community, = economy, and=20 built environment. For more information about our = organization=20 please visit us on the web:

City-Works

<= /TBODY>