Field Session

FRI-FS-10: Living With Water: History and Future of Resilience in New Orleans

Field Session Leader(s)

• 

  Rami Diaz, AIA, LEED AP

  Urban Design Director
  Waggonner & Ball, A Moffatt & Nichol Studio
  New Orleans, Louisiana
• 

  Delaney R. McGuinness, ASLA, PLA

  Delaney McGuinness, PLA, NGICP, ASLA
  Waggonner & Ball | Moffatt & Nichol
  New Orleans, Louisiana

Field Session Presenter(s)

• 

  Grace Vogel Sanders, ASLA, PLA

  Landscape Architect
  Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans
• 

  Todd Reynolds

  Executive Director
  Groundwork New Orleans
  NEW ORLEANS, LA
• AC

  Angela Chalk

  Founder & Executive Director
  Healthy Community Services
• 

  Stephen Nelson

  General Superintendent
  Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans
• 

  Kelli Cunningham, ASLA, PLA, AIA

  Principal
  Waggonner & Ball
  New Orleans, Louisiana
• 

  Shannon Blakeman, ASLA, PLA

  Managing Partner
  CARBO Landscape Architecture
  Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Bayou Drainage Map, courtesy Delaney McGuinness, Waggonner & Ball |Moffatt & Nichol

Explore New Orleans’ unique relationship with water, from historic pump stations to stormwater parks. See how green infrastructure and community-led initiatives are shaping the city’s urban landscape 20 years after Hurricane Katrina while honoring the city’s cultural heritage. Discover the history, challenges, and solutions in action when living with water.

Includes transportation and catered lunch.

Accessibility:This session takes place at locations where pathways may not be accessible for individuals with limited mobility.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand water’s role in New Orleans’ development, from Mississippi settlement to pump development, levee failure during Katrina, and current climate challenges.
• Learn about New Orleans’ geology, subsurface infrastructure, subsidence issues, and water management strategies critical for the city’s survival.
• Discover how professionals, agencies, and community groups reduce flooding and heat impacts while revitalizing neighborhoods through trees and parks.
• Explore infrastructure from century-old pumps to modern stormwater parks, implementing Dutch Dialogues and the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan.