Lafitte Greenway

Location
New Orleans, Louisiana

Nestled in the heart of New Orleans, the Lafitte Greenway connects six diverse neighborhoods. This 2.6 mile walking and biking trail passes through the upper-middle-class streets of Mid-City, along a neighborhood of Section 8 public housing, past Tremé (one of the oldest African-American neighborhoods in the city and in the nation), and finally, into the bustling French Quarter. Now a leading model of post-Katrina sustainable storm water management, the Lafitte Greenway was one of the first major public infrastructure projects in New Orleans after Katrina. It was also the city’s first large-scale use of green infrastructure and one of the first projects in New Orleans that created measurable outcomes aimed at lessening the effects of urban heat island and increasing storm water management capacity. Communities small and large can adapt the Lafitte Greenway project model to meet their environmental management needs as green infrastructure elements can be incorporated at varying scales. This once abandoned shipping canal-turned-railroad corridor has become an attractive mixed-use corridor that satisfies community transportation needs and provides services, jobs, and green space. In total, the greenway services a population of over 20,000 residents. The success of the Lafitte Greenway project is a direct result of the investment by locals and the city in the design and care of the greenway. For them, this is more than just a green space; it is a huge milestone in their post-Katrina recovery journey.