Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan Wins APA Award
Share in:
The APA National Planning Awards Jury selected 17 Excellence award recipients for 2015, and a New Orleans project was listed among the winners. The recipients will be honored during the Awards Luncheon at APA’s National Planning Conference in Seattle this April.
The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan was picked as the 2015 National Planning Excellence Award for Environmental Planning.
The awards — considered as the planning profession’s highest honor — acknowledge efforts to create more sustainable and livable communities with a focus on green technology and environmental awareness.
The goal of the New Orleans Urban Water Plan is to reduce the impact of development on our natural environment and improve environmental quality of life for the metro region. With this recognition, the APA recognizes the New Orleans region as a leader in water management practices.
Administered by Greater New Orleans, Inc. – the regional economic development organization – and led by Waggonner & Ball Architects, the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan addresses groundwater and storm water as two critical factors that will shape our growth and progress.
QSM is in a unique position to address these critical factors. QSM assists engineers, architects, urban planners, and developers when it comes to finding innovative solutions to water resources technology.
We here at QSM applaud GNO., Inc., Waggonner & Ball, and the whole team involved in New Orleans Urban Water Plan. This is an important and comprehensive undertaking, of which our entire region should be proud. Managing water resources is the next wave in building a stronger and more livable New Orleans. Issues such as subsidence, storm water runoff, and drainage can be turned in our favor to create natural, urban spaces that help us learn to live with water, as much so, or more so than we have previously aimed to repel it.
The plan sets forth sustainable strategies for managing the water resources of St. Bernard and the East Banks of Jefferson and Orleans Parishes. The study covers 155 square miles of urban areas and 69 square miles of protected wetlands.
The First Urban Water Plan of its Kind in the U.S.
Integrating infrastructure planning, land use planning, and urban design with a regional focus, the New Orleans Water Plan is the first regional water plan of its kind in the U.S. The plan offers an innovative approach to managing water resources within our levees – primarily storm water, surface water, and groundwater – and it aims to promote economic growth.
Regional planning is key. It outlines principles for water management, regional planning, and urban design that take into consideration local soil, water and biodiversity; existing infrastructure networks; and urban infrastructure.
Says David Waggonner, principal of Waggonner & Ball Architects, “This award recognizes our paradigm shift in water management, from a complete reliance on fighting water to finding ways to live with water while addressing soil stability and groundwater issues, all to create a base for sustained investment.”
It is estimated that implementation of the plan would nearly $11 billion in flooding, subsidence and insurance costs over the next 50 years, and generate more than $11 billion in economic impact by increasing property values and creating new jobs.
“This plan presents the opportunity to enhance quality of life and economic vitality by learning to live and work with water rather than simply defending against it,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of GNO, Inc. “As we approach the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this award recognizes the New Orleans area as a leader in the Environmental water sector.“
The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan was informed by an international team of experts, including many from the Netherlands.
GNO, Inc. administered community input through an Advisory Council, which consisted of representatives from local, regional and national institutions ranging from Committee for a Better New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation to Jefferson Economic Development Corporation, the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation and the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission.
“The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan provides both a methodology and solutions to address the challenges of the Mississippi River Delta,” said W. Shedrick Coleman, 2015 APA Awards Jury chair. “The plan is innovative and provides a benchmark for other communities to live in harmony with bodies of water.”
The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan and other APA award winners will be honored at the 2015 National Planning Awards luncheon April 20, 2015, at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. The plan will also be featured in the April 2015 issue of Planning magazine. Read more at: www.planning.org/awards/2015/Environmental.