Bringing back Gentilly

Members volunteer in force for first post-Katrina charrette in New Orleans

New urbanists are leading the planning response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita all along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, but the first major opportunity for CNU members to help New Orleanians rebuild came in April, when city councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and the Gentilly Civic Improvement Association invited Andres Duany to conduct a charrette for the city’s Gentilly area. A team of 50 new urbanists, composed primarily of CNU members volunteering their time and staff members provided by Duany Plater-Zyberk, convened at St. Leo’s Church in Gentilly from April 18-25, met with residents in a series of major gatherings and smaller pin-up sessions, and produced an impressive set of plans. While vast tracts of Gentilly — a collection of neighborhoods as racially and economically diverse as New Orleans itself — are still largely vacant and nearly lifeless, the charrette galvanized residents and made Gentilly a recognized leader in neighborhood planning in New Orleans. After a week of work, members of the group gathered for this photograph.
The charrette was supported by a grant from the Davis Family Foundation at the request of Daryl and Robert Davis, as well as contributions from individual CNU members.