3DCity-Works

=20 October 2008

City-Works=20 Newsletter

In=20 This Issue

Downtown=20 Height Study

Symposium=20 Review

Spotlight=20 on Sustainability =

Recovery=20 Snapshots=20

City-Works

Visit=20 Us!

Neighborhood=20 Profile=20 = Map

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Downtown=20 Height Study

This=20 past spring and summer, City-Works director Jim Livingston = served as=20 a task force member for a height study of the Warehouse = Historic=20 District

This task force was assembled by the = Downtown=20 Development District and Councilwoman Stacy Head to equally=20 represent neighborhood interests and the development = community. The=20 task force was, as the consultant John Hoal of H3 Studios = described,=20 composed of "strongly divided stakeholders." But = collaboration and=20 skilled leadership from the consultants guided the task = force to a=20 shared vision and set of goals. We as a task force believed = in a=20 holistic approach and quickly realized that the divisions = between us=20 were not as strong as our shared vision for a thriving=20 downtown.

Outstanding models developed by the = consultants=20 helped us to articulate that shared vision, culminating in a = unanimous vote to endorse the report.

A full copy of = the=20 height study can be found on the DDD's website HERE.

=20

Website=20 of the Month

3D"Hollygrove

The=20 Tulane City Center has a number of interesting ongoing = projects,=20 including the Hollygrove Market and Farm. To learn more = about these=20 projects, you can access the information HERE>>>

Greetings=20 Everyone!

A=20 new feature in the newsletter: each month we will = offer a view=20 of progress in the city with Recovery Snapshots. Our = first=20 snapshot is the Wisner Bike Trail just opened through = City=20 Park.

Our October symposium series was well = attended=20 and we expect more great things from our November = program=20 entitled "Crime and Urban Design." In addition, we = have=20 exciting news about our involvement in the Warehouse = Historic=20 District height study. We are also pleased to share a=20 Spotlight on Sustainability feature on bus benches = that=20 private citizens have assembled all over the city.=20

Read more below:=20

Symposium=20 Review
Master=20 Plan with the Force of Law symposium in = October

Next=20 Symposium - "Crime and Urban Design" - November=20 18.

In preparation for the November 4th = vote on the=20 proposed charter amendment in New Orleans, 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 "Yes or No - A Master Plan with the Force of Law" on = October=20 14th.

Approximately seventy voters = attended the=20 event at UNO's Kirschman Hall and heard the opinions = of=20 attorney Bill Borah, Bureau of Governmental Research = President=20 Janet Howard, Loyola University Associate Professor of = Law=20 John Lovett, and former Chair of the City Planning = Commission=20 Marshall Truehill. Each of the speakers, it = turned out,=20 responded to the evening's prompt with an emphatic = "yes" to=20 the proposed measure that would require public and = private=20 sector land use and capital improvement decisions, as = well as=20 the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, to be consistent = with a=20 master plan created with public input.

Some = members of=20 the audience voiced concern about the timing of the = vote,=20 given that the master plan has not yet been = completed. =20 The speakers, however, pointed out that citizens are = not being=20 asked to vote for or against an incomplete master = plan, but=20 whether or not to give their considerable planning = efforts the=20 force of law. The panelists also pointed out = that the=20 proposed amendment specifies that the City Council = must adopt=20 a master plan and that the plan will be reviewed with = public=20 input at least once every five years, but no more than = once=20 annually.

The event provided a forum for a = lively=20 discussion of this important initiative and marked the = first=20 entry in a series of colloquia that will both address = a wide=20 variety of recovery challenges and produce pragmatic = solutions=20 for New Orleans. Please join us on November = 18th from=20 6-8PM in Room 129 of Kirschman Hall for our next=20 symposium, "Crime and Urban=20 Design."

Spotlight=20 on Sustainability
Benches

3D"Freret Once=20 again, New Orleans residents are taking matters into = their own=20 hands and working to make our city more livable. This = time=20 they have focused their attention on bus stops and = benches,=20 sometimes creating works of art.

City-Works = has=20 chronicled several examples of these, built by private = citizens and offering seats, and in some cases = shelter, to=20 residents waiting for a bus.

To see the photo = essay,=20 including this bus stop on Freret built by Design = Corps, click=20 HERE.=20

Recovery=20 Snapshots
A=20 new City-Works series

Having trouble finding = tangible=20 signs of the recovery? Look no further! = City-Works=20 is proud to introduce a new section to our newsletter = that=20 photographically documents recovery. Each month, = we will=20 pick a public, private, or non-profit project that = exemplifies=20 improvement to our urban environment beyond = pre-Katrina=20 restoration. If you know of a project that you = would=20 like to see chronicled in the future, please email = Seth at=20 sknudsen@city-works.org.

Our inaugural recovery = snapshot is from the October 27th ribbon cutting for = the=20 Wisner bike path and features City-Works board member = Dr.=20 Billy Fields of the Center for Urban and Public = Affairs at the=20 University 3D"Billy of=20 New Orleans. The Wisner bike path, funded by the = Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development = and a=20 grant from the Wisner Foundation, was a pre-Katrina = vision=20 that has finally been brought to life. The = curvaceous=20 route was planned to serve recreational bikers and = preserve=20 the tree canopy along Bayou St. John. It appears = that=20 local cyclists have been aware of the path for some = time, as=20 evidenced by a couple who were surprised to find = themselves=20 biking through the press conference! A = complementary,=20 on-road route for commuters will be added when Wisner = Blvd. is=20 repaved.

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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