Gentilly Resilience District

The City of New Orleans submitted an application for funding through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) and was subsequently granted $141.2 million (second largest among the 13 total awardees). The goals of this grant included: addressing remaining damage from Hurricane Isaac in 2012 and undertaking projects and programs to fix that damage; building more resiliently to withstand future disasters; and mitigating our unique environmental challenges and urban public health disparities.

For more information about the funding, visit the HUD informational website.

For more information about the NDRC grant as well as the contracts procured and created through it, visit the Office of Community Development website.

The City’s NDRC application proposed the creation of its first-ever comprehensive resilience district in Gentilly with projects that invest in innovative and creative solutions so that people, culture, and infrastructure can thrive. A focus on Gentilly presents opportunities to leverage existing projects and investments, to reduce flood risk, and to support the area’s recovery and revitalization. The Gentilly Resilience District (GRD) builds on existing investments in urban water management funded through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

The GRD is a combination of efforts across Gentilly to reduce flood risk, slow land subsidence, improve energy reliability, and encourage neighborhood revitalization. Working with partners such as the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) and Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO), the City is leveraging existing investments in Gentilly and building on the experience of relevant pilot projects—from rain gardens to education programs—to inform our efforts elsewhere.

The city’s first-ever Resilience District will be a model for how other neighborhoods in New Orleans, across the region, and across the country, can adapt-to-thrive in a changing environment. By implementing various approaches to water and land management that have been successfully piloted throughout the district, we see this as a crucial step towards eventually and holistically improving neighborhood quality of life across the city—touching on everything from health and equity to economic opportunity, and from environmental education to recreation, and more.

The Gentilly Resilience District is comprised of the following projects and programs:

Projects:

Blue & Green Corridors: neutral grounds of major boulevards will be improved to slow and store stormwater while facilitating safe and comfortable spaces to travel and recreate;
Dillard Wetlands: existing woodlands will be retrofitted to capture water from neighboring areas and serve as a nature preserve;
London Avenue Canal - Public Art / Placemaking: youth and local artists will be included in public art placement along London Canal and other Gentilly water features to enhance public understanding of "Living with Water";
Mirabeau Water Garden: this 25-acre site, formerly the Sisters of Saint Joseph convent, will be renovated to store up to 10 million gallons of stormwater while also serving as a public space for recreation and environmental learning;
Pontilly Neighborhood Stormwater Network – Phase II / Dwyer Canal Public Improvements: in the Pontilly community, enhancements to the Dwyer Canal will be combined with vacant lots, streets, and alleyways to capture stormwater and beautify the Pontchartrain Park and Gentilly Woods neighborhoods;
St. Anthony Green Streets: this project will establish a new standard for neighborhood streets and playgrounds that incorporates stormwater management as a key component of neighborhood revitalization;
St. Bernard Neighborhood Campus: this project will integrate green infrastructure and recreational improvements at McDonogh 35 High School and Willie Hall Playground.

Programs:

Community Adaptation Program: investments in stormwater management and other resilience features for Gentilly homeowners;
Reliable Energy & Smart Systems: increase energy and water utility resilience through investments in micro-grids, energy redundancy at critical water infrastructure sites, and a water monitoring network;
Workforce Development: train and prepare a local workforce to build water management projects and develop increasingly vital skills in water infrastructure development and maintenance.