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City Park Conservancy (CPC) invites members of the Greater New Orleans region to take part in the second of four interactive community planning meetings to help build a lasting legacy for New Orleans City Park.
Community Meeting: Prepping the Ingredients, which is part of a series of iterative planning meetings that use a “Making Gumbo” metaphor to describe the planning process, will take place Wednesday, January 29 at 6pm at the Pavilion of the Two Sisters. Dinner and refreshments will be provided. Attendees can pre-register here.
This meeting will build on the themes and ideas developed with the community and focus on Place-Making Planning, which looks at Park visitors’ experience on a place-by-place basis to build upon what people love about each place but also offers opportunities to create new experiences. The planning team will begin the session with a review of insights gained in December at Community Meeting: Stirring the Roux and then attendees will sit together to participate in collaborative, table-top activities to prioritize and elaborate on Place-Making ideas to diversify the visitor experience at City Park.
“We’re inspired by the incredible engagement at the community meeting in December, which was invaluable in fine-tuning and affirming the Core Intentions that guide our Park plan,” said Rebecca Dietz, CPC President and CEO. “As we ‘prep the ingredients’ in this meeting, we are going to dive deeper into how we can improve, revive and add opportunities that resonate with our community’s needs and aspirations. This is such an important time for people to voice their ideas and insights, and we want to replicate the turnout and enthusiasm we saw in December to make sure we incorporate diverse viewpoints.”
In December, community members developed, refined and finalized six Core Intentions for the Park, including establishing a unified, welcoming arrival experience, ensuring safety and accessibility, promoting a healthy and biodiverse landscape, respecting historic and cultural uses, creating enriching opportunities for all ages, and balancing the Park’s budget and affordability. Community participants’ work builds on insights shared in earlier meetings last year and themes developed by the Ideas Youth Committee, a group of 15-25 year olds from across New Orleans, who began regular planning sessions last fall.
To access the full summary of Community Meeting: Stirring the Roux, click here.
For those who cannot attend on January 29, there are more opportunities to participate – pop-up events led by Community Fellows in every council district – as well as future community meetings on April 9 and June 25.
When complete, 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.