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Available Lots



Brett Snyder
University of Toronto, 2009

Problem
St. Roch, a historic inner-city New Orleans neighbourhood, suffered from urban blight before Katrina, and its circumstances have grown even worse. Vacancy is a significant problem. An overburdened underground canal system has produced flooding and degraded streets and houses.

Proposal
The project consolidates blighted and adjudicated properties in order to create mid-block water channels and basins. Clear criteria are established for the evaluation, sorting, and transfer of land parcels. The protocol for sorting and consolidation reduces the number of blighted structures in the neighbourhood, protects historic architecture, increases density, and reduces flood risks. Although developed in response to particular circumstances, the strategy could be generalized across New Orleans and beyond.