Reinventing the Crescent: Riverfront Development Plan in New Orleans, Louisiana by Eskew+Dumez+Ripple

Article source: Eskew+Dumez+Ripple

New Orleans has long been dependent on its majestic river. The banks of the Mississippi River have served many purposes throughout the city’s history and are now poised to play a crucial new role. The city’s economy has suffered the slow loss of maritime activity due to port consolidation and sudden, comprehensive loss of civic stability due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Aerial View (Images Courtesy Eskew+Dumez+Ripple)

• Architect: Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
• Name of Project: Reinventing the Crescent: Riverfront Development Plan
• Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
• Owner: The New Orleans Building Corporation
• Photo Credit: © Eskew+Dumez+Ripple

Aerial View (Images Courtesy Eskew+Dumez+Ripple)

• Associate Architects: Hargreaves Associates, Chan Krieger Scieniewicz, & TEN Arquitectos
• Consultants: James Richardson
• Economic Consulting: Julie Brown Consulting; Kulkarni
• Consultants: Moffatt & Nichol; Robinson et al.
• Public Relations: St. Martin, Brown & Associates

Aerial View (Images Courtesy Eskew+Dumez+Ripple)

Paradoxically, the hurricane heightened public understanding that the riverfront is in fact the “high ground” and ripe for possible redevelopment. As such, the Reinventing the Crescent Development Plan calls for the East Bank of the city’s central riverfront to accommodate a continuous sequence of public open spaces, and along this sequence establish 15 special environments.

Plan

Some of these places reinforce and enhance existing public domains, such as improving the riverfront’s Moonwalk and creating a better pedestrian connection between the Moonwalk and Jackson Square. Others are new urban nodes allowing the city to reconnect with the river’s edge. Each of the new development nodes is strategically located to facilitate the mitigation of physical barriers that have kept citizens at an ‘urban arm’s length’ away from their river.

Concept

Tags: Louisiana, New Orleans

Category: Urban Design

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