Greenspace Master Planning for New Orleans

Millage Recap: The millage approved by voters on May 4, 2019 replaces the millages currently collected on behalf of the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORD), Parks & Parkways, and the Audubon Commission. These three entities will continue to receive funds generated by the combined millage; in addition, New Orleans City Park, which is a state agency, will become a first-time recipient of the City's public funds.

Accompanying the millage is a unique Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) that requires the millage recipients to coordinate management of the City’s principal parklands for the first time in the City’s history — a major step forward.

The CEA also commits the City to commissioning a “city-wide parks, green/open space, and recreation master plan to be updated every ten years and facilitated by a qualified third party with national park experience.” Planning will be funded out of the millage proceeds.

Next Steps: Having advocated vigorously for the parks and recreation master planning cycle through which we citizens will define our vision and fundamental mandates for greenspace citywide, Parks For All has been collecting information about best practices in park and recreation master planning.

To this end, Parks For All hosted a forum featuring Design Workshop’s Kurt Culbertson, one of the nation’s most highly regarded landscape architects, whose deep knowledge of New Orleans was further advanced by his engagement with local communities in the process of designing the Lafitte Greenway. His presentation can be viewed below.