Challenge
I-10 has long presented complicated issues to residents along the Claiborne Avenue corridor in New Orleans, LA. It runs above the main street of a community impacted by Hurricane Katrina and acts as a dividing line between concentrations of public housing and access to jobs, major parks, and transit. At the same time, the area beneath the highway has become an important community space.
The City of New Orleans wanted to understand how to approach issues of access and develop solutions that better serve this community.
Solution
Kittelson led the Livable Claiborne Communities Study as a comprehensive effort to understand current trends in housing, jobs, workforce training, and economic development.
Our team not only engaged the community through public meetings but also involved community advocates and developed video vignettes in which local residents told their stories. The goal of these activities was to listen holistically to the community’s needs and look beyond transportation to understand what solutions would be equitable and truly serve the community.
These conversations revealed that the linkage between infrastructure investment and economic and land development was key.
The Outcome
Improving Job Access and Opportunities Through Infrastructure
The Kittelson team produced the 66-paged DataBook, a booklet that continues to serve as a resource for understanding options and strategies to improve life for the community, including ways to:
- improve transit service
- connect housing to jobs, schools, and healthcare
- manage soil and water to reduce flooding
- promote vibrant, livable communities through new housing opportunities, jobs, and businesses that support and enhance the area’s distinctive cultural traditions
The DataBook also led the City reexamining ongoing initiatives and focusing investment on access to education and professional training.
