The Project

The Vision

New Orleans has long been a place with an intangible spirit, drawing in individuals seeking an environment ripe for innovation.

The 20th Century brought on a resource-based economy, where oil, gas, minerals, and tourism drove business, and the Superdome emerged as our architectural icon. As we move into the 21st Century, New Orleans is reinventing itself as an entrepreneurial and artisan-based economy. Our riverfront property will emerge as a symbol of our reinvention – a beacon for New Orleans’ transformation into America’s boutique city.

Reinventing the Crescent, being spearheaded by the New Orleans Building Corporation, seeks to transform six miles of unused industrial and commercial space along the Mississippi River into a world-renowned example of design excellence, one that will increase tourism, create jobs and revenue for New Orleans, and foster a renewed quality of life among our local communities.

The Development Plan

Today, we have, for the first time in 150 years, the lifetime opportunity to reconnect the City of New Orleans to its riverfront and embrace it in new and exciting ways. New Orleans, the nation’s most soulful city-so often at the vanguard of American creative culture-stands poised to realize a new 21st century urban landscape that will become a model of design excellence.

In September 2006, the NOBC Board of Directors issued a Request for Qualifications to select an team of design professionals to to prepared a bold Development Plan, capable of reinventing our riverfront and redefining New Orleans. An internationally recognized team led by Eskew+Dumez+Ripple was selected to create the Development Plan for the riverfront from Jackson Avenue to Poland Avenue. Together, Alex Krieger of Chan Krieger Sieniewicz (Cambridge), George Hargreaves of Hargreaves Associates (Cambridge, New York, San Francisco, London), Enrique Norton of TEN Arquitectos (New York, Mexico City), and Allen Eskew of Eskew+Dumez+Ripple (New Orleans) represent quite possibly the most talented riverfront design team ever assembled.

The Reinventing the Crescent Development Plan is ambitious in overall scope and geography, but absolutely obtainable. Over the length of the six-mile project, the Design Team has designated 15 locations to reinvent – providing opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and reconnection.

The phased implementation will transform our Riverfront – already one of the most storied in the nation – into one of the most spectacular.

The Economics

The “new New Orleans” is about smart, permanent economic growth, having maintained a steady in-flow of investment and young talent since Hurricane Katrina. The $294 million investment in Reinventing the Crescent, from our Local, State, and Federal governments as well as private sources, preserves this ideal and establishes a powerful economic development engine – creating thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue annually.

Dr. Jim Richardson, PHD Economist and LSU professor, has concluded that the economic impact of the proposed plan is profound. To summarize, Reinventing the Crescent will provide:

• An average of 5,800 jobs per year during construction
• $13 million of state tax collections during each year of construction
• $8 million of local tax collections during each year of construction
• 24,000 permanent jobs
• $34.8 annual million of state tax collections upon completion
• $28.5 annual million of state tax collections upon completion
• An internal rate of return of 18% over 30 years.