Project Notifications
Hung Dao Fact sheet: English
Hung Dao Fact sheet: Vietnamese
Project Overview
In 2010, the former Southwood Homes development in New Orleans’ Lower Algiers neighborhood became vacant. Shortly after, they were demolished, and the vacant lots have been undeveloped since. Efforts are underway to transform the land into the Hung Dao Heritage Garden. Established in the 1970s by refugees from the Vietnam War, New Orleans’ Vietnamese communities represent some of the strongest ethnic cultures in the region; in lower Algiers, the community has grown to approximately 350 families. The Hung Dao Heritage Garden will integrate creative placemaking by integrating green infrastructure solutions within a community space, neighborhood park, and cultural heritage farm to provide both flood mitigation and environmental enhancement on the vacant lots. The community recognizes the importance of passing down its cultural traditions to the next generation and beyond, which led to the idea of a heritage garden that would tell the story of Hung Dao through plantings, food, and traditions native to all regions of Vietnam.
The City was awarded a $1.4M grant through Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program to conduct project scoping, feasibility analyses, and design of stormwater management features for the proposed Hung Dao Heritage Garden. In addition to the BRIC funds, the City will be contributing approximately $400,000 to the project budget.
The project will provide a better understanding of where and what type of stormwater measures can be used to help mitigate flooding in the surrounding area of the proposed park. A Community Priorities Report will be developed and will contain a prioritized list of which Green Infrastructure solutions can be implemented within the park. In addition, traditional drainage infrastructure improvements will be proposed. Wingate Engineers will create a H&H study, construction documents, and budget for the proposed park. This approach will allow the City to submit this project for additional funding, either through state and federal grants or through the City Council. Having a project that has been vetted with a drainage study and community input makes it more likely to get funded.
Community Outreach Presentations
Click this link to view the presentation slideshow: Hung-Dao_Community-Presentation.pptx