City Park Plan - New Orleans City Park

City Park Plan


The previous City Park Master Plan (City Park 2018) was approved in March 2005 and guided improvements to the Park over nearly two decades, largely focusing on enhancements to the south side of the Park.

In 2023, City Park Conservancy (CPC) launched a new planning process to guide City Park’s future for the next generation. This new City Park Plan, completed in June 2025, is grounded in serving the greater good, addressing community needs, preserving historical and cultural context, enhancing environmental resilience, and fostering a welcoming and inclusive sense of place across all 1,300 acres.

How the Plan Came Together
In February 2023, CPC published a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new master plan, receiving submissions from top firms around the world. Following in-depth interviews, CPC and the City Park Improvement Association (CPIA) boards voted unanimously selecting Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. (MVVA) to lead the planning effort.

MVVA is one of the most-highly regarded landscape-architecture firms in the world, having rejuvenated, designed, and built hundreds of public spaces in the United States and abroad since its founding in 1982. Their team led the planning process alongside local experts and community members to deliver a community centered vision for the future of City Park.

In August 2024, through a public RFP process, Concordia was selected to join the City Park Planning team as the lead Community Engagement consultant to help strengthen a continued community engagement process. Concordia is a New Orleans-based firm with over 40 years of experience in architecture, planning, and community engagement.

This plan is made possible through a lead gift from the Greg Keller Foundation.

A Community Centered Framework
The planning process was shaped by an iterative, research-based engagement framework that placed community voice at its core. From July 2023 to June 2025, CPC and its planning partners carried out an inclusive engagement process, resulting in thousands of resident voices helping to shape the plan.

Two key layers structured the design process:

  • Foundational Planning focused on improving the essential elements that keep a park healthy and support all visitors
  • Placemaking Planning looked at the visitor experience place-by-place, enhancing what people already love and exploring opportunities to create new memories

A New Orleans Process: Making Gumbo
To reflect New Orleans’ culture and make planning more accessible, the engagement process followed the metaphor of making gumbo – which was a layered, collaborative, and iterative approach:

  • Making Groceries: Gathered input from a broad range of residents, especially youth and marginalized communities, to shape the “ingredient list” for the plan
  • Stirring the Roux: Built a base of shared values and community defined priorities – this was the foundation for every future decision
  • Prepping the Ingredients: Explored how to preserve and enhance the places people cherish, while identifying ideas to diversify park experiences
  • Mixing the Gumbo: Merged all concepts into a unified vision, blending Foundational and Placemaking Planning
  • Taste-Testing the Gumbo: Invited the public to review the final draft of the City Park Plan and ensure it reflected community needs and dreams

Visit the Community Input page to learn more about the engagement process!



Community engagement was a key component to the planning process. You can learn more and read meeting summary reports here.


We want you to be informed. Stay engaged with the process, and explore the most-commonly asked questions, here.


MVVA believes in the rejuvenating power of landscape. They work at all scales, from small gardens to public parks and regional master plans.



“We were most motivated by how well the Park is used. From its sheer scale and breadth of community programs to the range of landscapes and habitats it incorporates, City Park is visibly alive and loved by the city of New Orleans. We consider it a once in a lifetime opportunity to help such a beloved public asset reach its full potential.”
MVVA
"We are equally committed to producing an equitable roadmap for City Park, which means working with diverse organizations who can expand our understanding of the many barriers to democratic community development and inclusive public space."
MVVA
“As park planners, we love to work with institutions at a crossroads. The creation of the City Park Conservancy is an extraordinary moment that has paved the way for crucial investments in the financial and ecological health of the Park as well as program expansions that will reinvent its place in the region.“
MVVA
“When we assemble teams, we look for collaborators with perspectives that can expand the reach and strength of our work. Our subconsultants include both local experts with in-depth knowledge of the region and long-time project partners from nationwide organizations."
MVVA
"We were inspired by the historic and cultural value of the Park as a piece of the city. We were particularly excited by the Conservancy’s attention to the landscape as a 'memory keeper' that has nurtured the daily lives of New Orleans families for nearly 150 years. Adapting the Park to new recreational needs and preserving its most-memorable features, all while improving its ecology and approach to water management, are challenges we relish as landscape architects.”
MVVA
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