3DCity-Works

=20 November 2008

City-Works=20 Newsletter

In=20 This Issue

The=20 Month Ahead

Spotlight=20 on Sustainability =

Symposium=20 Review

Recovery=20 Snapshots=20

City-Works

Visit=20 Us!

Neighborhood=20 Profile=20 = Map

3D"Join

The=20 Month ahead at City-Works

We=20 have two opportunities to get involved in what City-Works is = doing=20 in the month of December:

Lights on Main is a=20 month-long Pride Project City-Works is spearheading with = help from=20 Entergy and partners in the Preservation Resouce Center, = Louisiana=20 Landmarks Society, Urban Conservancy and the four = state-designated=20 Urban Main Streets. There will be a simultanious lighting = ceremony=20 on December 3rd on all state designated Main Streets. An = awards=20 ceremony will follow later in December.

Gentilly = AIA=20 SDAT will be in early December. We have a team coming = from the=20 American Institute of Architects to look at the area around = the=20 intersection of Gentilly Blvd. and Elysian Fields, seeing if = they=20 can help the community work on implimentation of its long = held goals=20 for recovery. Part of the project will be working with the=20 outstanding university assets in the Gentilly community, = including=20 Dillard University, University of New Orleans, Southern, and = the=20 Baptist Theological Seminary. There will be public meetings = as a=20 part of their work, and if you would like to be included = directly,=20 please contact the City-Works office.

Spotlight=20 on Sustainability
Rain=20 gardens

3D"Rain A=20 rain garden is designed to collect and filter storm water = before it=20 enters a drain. Their goal is to reduce the use of pumping = stations=20 in New Orleans in a moderate rain event. In a rainy city = such as New=20 Orleans, rain gardens not only add an aesthetic touch, but = also=20 improve the natural and physical environment. Groundwork New = Orleans=20 has established a number of rain gardens in Central=20 City.

Greetings=20 Everyone!

Between=20 our symposium this week on Crime + Design, an American = Institute of Architects team coming next month to look = at the=20 recovery of Gentilly, and the execution of our first = Pride=20 Project, we remain busy at City-Works.

We see = some=20 progress in our recovery. As we noted last month, = sometimes=20 the recovery projects are small, but very meaningful = for the=20 surrounding community. This month's snapshot of = recovery has=20 been a long time in the making. Not long ago, A.L. = Davis Park=20 in Central City was a trailer park. Today, kids in the = community can once again play. That is progress.=20

Read more below:=20

Symposium=20 Review
Crime=20 + Design in November

On Tuesday, = City-Works, in=20 partnership with the Center for Urban and Public = Affairs at=20 the University of New Orleans, hosted a symposium = entitled=20 "Crime + Urban Design."

Von Nkosi, an = executive=20 on loan to the Office of Recovery and Development=20 Administration, and Steve Singer, General Counsel for = Orleans=20 Parish Public Defenders and Assistant Clinical = Professor of=20 Law at Loyola University, engaged in a lively = discussion with=20 neighborhood and public safety leaders from all over = the city=20 about the true costs of crime and our opportunities = for=20 intervention at various levels. Both = presentations=20 emphasized the need for citizens to pay attention to = relevant=20 policy at the city, state, and federal level as well = as=20 activity in their immediate environment. =

Mr.=20 Singer gave important contextual information on crime = in New=20 Orleans, noting that this city incarcerates more = people per=20 capita than any other city in the world. = Incarceration=20 has proven to be costly and largely ineffective; = investments=20 in our people and urban environment would likely prove = to be=20 financially, and socially, preferable. Mr. = Nkosi, an=20 architect, then detailed the strategies associated = with "Crime=20 Prevention Through Environmental Design," (CPTED) = including=20 access control, surveillance, territorial = reinforcement,=20 maintenance, and management. The audience saw = wisdom in=20 this approach: one person remarked "This is common = sense,"=20 which prompted others to concur and wonder aloud about = whether=20 or not these principles are being incorporated in the = city's=20 redevelopment projects and master plan. =

The=20 City-Works/CUPA symposium series will continue next = year, so=20 please be on the lookout for future announcements from = City-Works. We look forward to seeing you there = in=20 2009!

[For more information on CPTED, please = refer to=20 Mr. Nkosi's
workbook for the City of Raleigh = Planning=20 Department, which can be found in the "SERA CPTED = WorkBook"=20 folder at http://idisk.mac.com/von-Public.]

Recovery=20 Snapshots
A.L.=20 Davis Park

3D"Central This=20 month's recovery snapshot is of a new tot lot at A.L. = Davis=20 Park, at the corner of LaSalle and Washington Avenues = in=20 Central City. Not that long ago, the park was a=20 temporary housing site, but the trailers have since = been=20 removed and the grass has been restored. The=20 construction had been a source of curiosity for = neighborhood=20 kids who could be seen exploring progress each day = after the=20 workers left. Now complete, the new playground = equipment=20 invites children to play there once again. Field = lights=20 at the park should be repaired by the end of the year. = Neighbors look forward to the day when football games = can=20 resume on the field.

Website=20 of the Month

3D"New

The=20 New Orleans Master Plan meetings continue in December. = The=20 Master Plan website has lots of information about all = planning=20 districts and the information that has been presented = so far.=20 For the latest on the Master Plan, the meetings and = how the=20 document that will outline the future of development = in New=20 Orleans is shaping up, 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

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