New Orleans City Leaders Gather For Water & Climate Briefing

 
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Mayor LaToya Cantrell and twenty departmental heads from across City Hall dedicated an afternoon to building shared knowledge on New Orleans geography, water management, and climate adaptation. The Water Leaders team gave an introduction to delta formation and land loss, to urban water infrastructure and flooding, and to frameworks for understanding risk and resilience. The team then led a field trip following the path of water through the city, with stops to learn about green infrastructure, drainage pump stations*, subsidence, and the city's history and development. Throughout, the participants engaged questions such as:

  • Why is so much of the city below sea level?

  • How are flooding and subsidence related?

  • How will climate change and sea level rise impact our neighborhoods and infrastructural systems?

  • What roles and responsibilities for managing water, risk, and climate adaptation exist across City Hall?

Most importantly, City leaders explored the issues of representation and inclusion in the development of water and climate adaptation plans, and the role of public officials and agencies relative to systems change. As Tanya James, WLI Co-Lead, asked, "We are investigating how the planning table is set. How do you start to build relationships between planners, policy makers, and citizens?"

Following this briefing, the WLI team will be presenting to community leaders at the November 9 Neighborhood Summit, and working with the mayor's office to identify next steps.

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*Many thanks to the Sewerage & Water Board and Supervisors Gerald Tilton and Conard James for providing access to Drainage Pump Station 6.

 
Water Leaders Institute