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City Park Conservancy (CPC) invites members of the Greater New Orleans region to take part in the final interactive community planning meeting to provide input on the future of New Orleans City Park.
Community Meeting: Taste-Testing the Gumbo is the last in a series of iterative planning meetings that use a “Making Gumbo” metaphor to describe the planning process, and will be held on Wednesday, June 25 at the Pavilion of the Two Sisters in City Park. Due to the large turnout at past meetings, participants are asked to choose between a morning session at 11:30am or an evening session at 6pm. Refreshments will be provided. CPC asks attendees to please RSVP now for their preferred session to ensure accommodation and planning materials for everyone.
In this meeting, participants will review the proposed City Park Plan, which has been shaped by community input through multiple engagement interactions. This session will focus on a review of the plan by zone to confirm it reflects community interests and fosters the best outcome for City Park’s future. Attendees will also participate in a table-top activity to provide input on the types of programming they would like to see in the Park, learn about the next steps in the process, and celebrate the collective effort that has led to this exciting final stage of the planning process.
“The June meeting will be a great opportunity for our community to revisit and reflect on the Park plan that has been created through this collaborative co-design process,” said Rebecca Dietz, CPC President & CEO. “At this meeting, we are going to ensure that the vision we’ve built together with our community lays a strong foundation for City Park’s bright future, and we are going to talk about ways for the community to continue to be involved in supporting our Park.”
At the last Community Meeting in April, over 500 community members and CPC staff reviewed and co-designed a draft City Park Plan that brought together Foundational Planning and Placemaking Ideas generated in preceding community meetings. Community participants were shown a presentation highlighting Integrated Planning Ideas and explored how these ideas could take shape throughout the Park. Participants also assessed how well the ideas aligned with City Park’s Core Intentions — including improving accessibility, supporting nature and biodiversity, honoring history, and creating fun opportunities for all ages.
To access the full summary of Community Meeting: Prepping the Ingredients and the full summary of Community Meeting: Mixing the Gumbo, visit CPC’s Community Input page.
Following Community Meeting: Taste-Testing the Gumbo, the City Park Plan will be submitted for approval to CPC and City Park Improvement Association boards on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. Community members will have the opportunity to continue to stay involved throughout the design process once the plan is approved.
The City Park Plan will foster an innovative and thoughtful long-term proposal for the Park grounded in serving the greater good, addressing community needs, preserving historical and cultural context, enhancing environmental resiliency, and fostering a welcoming sense of place.
This plan is made possible through a lead gift from the Greg Keller Foundation. For more information, click here.