Skip to main content
ASLA 2025 Conference on Landscape Architecture Main banner
Back

Concurrent Education Session

The Future of the Public Realm

FRI-C01: 20 Years Later: Spatial, Economic, and Civic Lessons Learned Since Katrina

Friday, October 10, 2025
2:00 PM – 3:15 PM CT
1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

In the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, the City of New Orleans has embraced a paradigm shift in how to view water as an asset, make better public spaces, and support economic and civic reinvestment. This dialogue examines the designer’s role in this conversation in conjunction with larger public participation.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Learn the history of the paradigm shift in adaptation planning following Hurricane Katrina and the first water plan in the United States.
  • Discuss policy, municipal government responses, and lessons learned concerning disaster recovery, urban adaptation planning, and landscape design.
  • Examine mechanisms to improve adaptation planning through the lens of design, economic development, real estate, and community priorities.
  • Discuss the voice of landscape architects in initiating paradigm-shifting policy and forward-looking adaptation planning.