City Park 2050: Progress & Updates

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Six-Month Progress Update from Rebecca Dietz, President and CEO

In August 2025, the City Park Improvement Association and City Park Conservancy Boards approved City Park 2050, a community driven plan guiding thoughtful investment across our 1,300 acres over the next 25 years.

Six months later, implementation is well underway. City Park 2050 is not a single project. It is a long-term commitment to stewardship, access, resilience, and community connection. From design work and infrastructure improvements to strengthened partnerships, we are moving forward with momentum and intention.

Design Phase Underway

• Throughout the planning process, community priorities were clear: Expand access to nature, improve recreation opportunities, and strengthen connectivity across the Park. Our initial implementation efforts focus on major project areas that directly reflect those priorities.
• On the north side, design is advancing for improvements to the Quadruplex and a new multi-use field adjacent to Pan American Stadium, alongside upgrades to the soccer complex and improved trail connections within the Wisner Tract. New sidewalks and trails along Zachary Taylor Drive will further strengthen pedestrian access and better link recreation areas with surrounding green space.
• On the south side, plans include the transformation of the former maintenance corral into the S. Barton Stewart III Center – a youth-focused gathering space featuring a lagoon terrace, nature-based play trails, a cooling garden, educational water access, upgraded bike and pedestrian paths, and expanded trail connectivity. Design is also progressing for an amphitheater near Tad Gormley Stadium and enhancements to the practice track.
• Final design and phasing will continue to be refined through the design process and as funding is aligned with ongoing transparency and community engagement throughout implementation.

Park Improvements in Progress

• While conceptual and schematic design work advances, critical infrastructure investments are already complete or underway. These foundational investments strengthen long-term safety, access, and resilience.
• At Tad Gormley Stadium, the recent turf replacement improves field performance and player safety, the Phase III renovation at Pan American Stadium focuses on improvements to restrooms and locker rooms, and – at Bayou Oaks – the driving range and South Course improvements enhance playability and long-term sustainability.
• We’ve also made Park-wide investments including the kickoff of improved wayfinding signage, completed tennis-court resurfacing, sidewalk and bridge repairs, improvements to the Mirabeau culvert, and sewer replacements serving the Botanical Garden, City Putt, and downstream infrastructure.

Sustainability & Community Partnership

• Environmental stewardship remains central to City Park 2050. In 2025 alone, we had 17,159 volunteer hours representing nearly $600,000 in community value.
• Current initiatives include water management, native-shoreline restoration along Big Lake in partnership with the Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans; Louisiana iris planting in Couturie Forest in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Iris Society and the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative; Urban Forest Support Initiative tree plantings in partnership with Vita Coco and ongoing forestry support with Master Naturalists; workforce development through Louisiana Green Corps; Scout Island restoration with Limitless Vistas, Inc.; and continued community volunteer collaborations with Grow Dat Youth Farm.

Organizational Alignment

• City Park 2050 is guiding not only physical improvements, but how we operate as an organization. Over the past six months, our full-time team has worked together to define and adopt an updated Vision & Values Statement for City Park Conservancy.
• This strategic alignment ensures that implementation is grounded in shared clarity around our values: Teamwork, Stewardship, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Continuous Improvement
• We also reaffirmed our vision: To be a welcoming space for everyone – dedicated to stewardship – that allows nature to thrive, community to connect, and lifelong memories to take root. City Park 2050 is not simply a plan for projects – it is a commitment to how we lead.

Launching Our Brand-Awareness Campaign

• As implementation gains momentum, we are launching a brand-awareness campaign this month to elevate the Park’s role in the life of the city.
• City Park is not only the geographic heart of New Orleans, it is the emotional heart as well. The campaign highlights how deeply the Park is woven into people’s lives and reflects what we heard throughout the engagement process: City Park is deeply personal, historically complex, and essential to civic infrastructure.
• As we build toward 2050, this effort ensures that the story of the Park evolves alongside its spaces.

Six months into City Park 2050, we are proud of the progress across infrastructure improvements, recreation spaces, environmental initiatives, and early design efforts that reflect the priorities shared by our community.

As we advance the plan, we continue to pursue stacked funding strategies and are making meaningful strides with early federal grants and private philanthropic support. We remain committed to building momentum responsibly, and transparently, as additional support is secured. As implementation continues, we remain committed to ongoing engagement, including focus groups and community conversations to ensure design is informed by the people it serves.

While City Park 2050 focuses on long-term improvements, our day-to-day operations continue to thrive thanks to the incredible support of our community. We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended Celebration in the Oaks and to the generous donors who help sustain the Park year round.

With spring nearly here, City Park is once again coming alive with festivals, athletic events, and countless opportunities to gather. Whether through volunteering, becoming a Friend of City Park Member, attending events, making a donation, or simply spending time outdoors, we are grateful for the continued support that sustains the Park and helps move City Park 2050 forward.

City Park has always been shaped by the community it serves – the city’s backyard, a place for connection, play, and reflection. We remain committed to regular updates and thoughtful progress as we build toward 2050 – together.