Dutch Dialogues II

Workshop New Orleans - October 10-13 2008

PARTNERS

American Planning Association

Royal Netherlands Embassy
Waggonner & Ball Architects

Waggonner & Ball Architects

Dutch Dialogues II
Workshop New Orleans - October 10-13 2008
0 CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION TO DUTCH DIALOGUES 07

2 THE DIALOGUES PROCESS 11

3 THE REGIONAL SCALE 15

The Regional Workgroup: An Opening Thesis 15
Regional Plans and Safety 15
Structures and Backbones 17
Principles for Redevelopment 17
Putting it all Together: An Illustration 21

4 GENTILLY: A RISING MIDDLE CLASS 27

Our Framework 29
Challenge 1, the New Orleans Lido in Lake Pontchartrain 31
Challenge 2: Thousand Trees Elysian Fields Avenue 33
Challenge 3: Gentilly’s New-Old Water System 35
Challenge 4: Bayou London Avenue 37
Challenge 5: Acupuncture 39

5 THE HOFFMAN TRIANGLE: A NEW URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 41

Introduction and summary 41
Water and soil 41
The Problem: Subsidence 44
A new hydraulic principle: the Cascade 46
Integrating the Cascade 49
Conclusion 59

A APPENDIX - PARTICIPANTS 61

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I •5•
1 INTRODUCTION TO DUTCH DIALOGUES
The “Dutch Dialogues” workshops are
the outgrowth of extended interactions
between Dutch engineers, urban desig-
ners, landscape architects, city planners
and soils/hydrology experts and, primarily,
their Louisiana counterparts. Following on
a trip to the Netherlands in January, 2006,
by an official delegation led by Senator
Mary Landrieu, this dialogue was initiated
by David Waggonner, a New Orleans
architect, with the support of the Royal
Netherlands Embassy in Washington, DC
and the American Planning Association.
Waggonner’s tireless efforts on behalf
of “Dutch Dialogues” derive from his
unwavering belief that New Orleans can
survive and prosper and grow only when
it gets certain fundamentals in order.
Dutch Dialogues exposes and hopefully
addresses some of those fundamentals.
South Louisiana, like the Netherlands,
must adapt to the threats inherent to
living in a subsiding delta. “Safety First”
is the key organizing water management
principle in the Netherlands. This is
not an either/or proposition -- it is an
ordering principle. History repeatedly
demonstrates the dangers of living in a
delta: disasters are common there. To
ignore, however, the water’s magic – the
unique, abundant opportunities that can
and should be exploited for economic,
societal and cultural gain — is also short-
sighted.
“Living with the water” has recently
become a corollary principle of Dutch
policy. We believe that adapting a “Living
with the Water” principle is necessary in
post-Katrina New Orleans, and we reject
the false choice posited by some who
see a choice between safety or amenity
from water in the Louisiana delta. Indeed,
Dutch Dialogues posits that both safety
and amenity from water are crucial to a
future in which New Orleans is robust,
vibrant and secure.
Thinking about the future is more than
repairing the damage—it is also means
imagining what New Orleans could or
might be. This “imagining process” can
yield new thoughts about what we are
and want to be, which qualities to keep
and which to create, which identities are
permanent and which are not.
This booklet provides a condensed nar-
rative of a Dutch Dialogues workshop
held from Oct 10 through 13, 2008.
This workshop was not, and could not
be, a comprehensive or fully-researched
approach to “planning with water” in
greater New Orleans. The narrative was
produced by dedicated, inspired profes-
sionals who were working with incomplete
information under severe time pressures.
Moreover, political considerations were
consciously never part of the discussion:
the preference was to focus primarily on
the existing physical landscape and urban
environment. This “selective reality” is a
double-edged sword, yielding perhaps
new solutions to old problems, but also
honoring realities that ultimately must be
addressed.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I •7•
The reader should remember that Dutch
Dialogues was intended to develop illu-
strative, not prescriptive, ideas for current
planning and redevelopment challenges
in and around New Orleans. Whatever
weaknesses exist in the document
derive from imperfect information or an
imperfectly-informed approach. The
Dutch participants departed New Orleans
fully convinced that a vibrant, thriving and
safer New Orleans is not only possible
but also feasible, and that consigning
New Orleans to becoming an historical
artifact (culturally, economically, socially
and strategically) is short-sighted.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I •9•
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2 THE DIALOGUES PROCESS
Dutch Dialogues II was held October
10-13, 2008, and built upon groundwork
laid during a workshop held in New
Orleans, chiefly at the Port of New Orleans
Headquarters along the Mississippi River,
March 4-6, 2008. Dutch experts came
to New Orleans, got a crash course on
the New Orleans political and planning
landscape, and then went into the field to
“see and smell and walk” the provocative,
confounding New Orleans landscape.
The initial reaction of the Dutch planners
and designers was “Where is the water
and why is it hidden?”
During the workshop, the Dutch parti-
cipants were joined by American peers
from New Orleans and elsewhere. The
entire group was given broad instructions
to develop illustrative plans for the New
Orleans redevelopment process, with
a primary focus on water and how that
can add to the quality of life and enable
economic development within the New
Orleans delta.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 11 •
The larger group was divided into three
sub-groups, each working at a different
scale. Our scales of inquiry were three:
1. The regional scale, the metropolitan
area of New Orleans, confined chiefly
to the East Bank of the Mississippi;
2. A city district, or sub-basin, Gentilly
3. A neighborhood within the Uptown
District, The Hoffman Triangle.
The groups worked separately, although
regular feedback sessions ensured con-
tinuity and integration of the efforts. No-
netheless, the groups purposely avoided
a haphazard, ad-hoc approach to integra-
ting the scales. Participants also tried to
respect New Orleans’ existing identity,
to avoid proposing radical or destructive
changes, and to integrate their proposals
into the existing urban fabric.
The sketches, drawings and ideas pro-
duced during the workshop were volumi-
nous; refining those ideas into a coherent,
illustrative whole was a challenge. The
images that follow are but a sampling of
the Workshop’s output, and the images
are designed to provoke thought and
inspire further efforts.
Dutch Dialogues II ended with two de-
tailed presentations on October 13, one
to an invited group of key New Orleans
public officials and institutional represen-
tatives, and one to the general public;
both presentations were held at Tulane
University. What follows is a summary of
the detailed presentations.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 13 •
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3 THE REGIONAL SCALE
THE REGIONAL WORKGROUP:
AN OPENING THESIS
In 1953 the Netherlands was struck by
a devastating flood in which nearly 2000
people died. The flood’s impact was
overwhelming, forcing Dutch policyma-
kers and engineers to think differently
about flood protection, economic value
and risk.
Katrina was a terrible hurricane and a
worse disaster. It too requires policyma-
kers to think differently about protection,
resiliency and risk. More importantly,
Katrina affords New Orleans and Louisia-
nans a chance to demonstrate how to live
more robustly, Cajun- and Creole-style, in
a challenging, beautiful river delta.
In Dutch Dialogues, we first applied our
imagining process to a larger, regional
scale. After that, we looked at possible
solutions for the city as a whole, and then
we looked at neighborhood-specific ap-
proaches. We kept reminding ourselves
to integrate the City of New Orleans and
its unique neighborhoods and identities
into the larger scale.
New Orleans provides a wonderful palette
for a designer, unique challenges for an
engineer, and untold opportunities for a
planner. Dutch Dialogues participants left
New Orleans with a firm belief that a new
planning and urban design strategy --
with and for the water—was needed, and
that water should become, once again, a
primary quality of the City’s identity, as it is
in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Venice.
REGIONAL PLANS AND SAFETY
Solid restoration and redevelopment
plans for coastal Louisiana, the Missis-
sippi Delta and New Orleans already exist,
notably the Louisiana Coastal Protection
and Restoration Authority (LACPRA) plan
developed by the State of Louisiana and
the Louisiana Coastal Protection and
Restoration (LACPR) plan of the US
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Both
plans call for a 1-in-100 protection level
by 2012, and include the restoration and
strengthening of the Corps’ Hurricane
Protection System (HPS) levees, flood
walls and gates. The plans also call for
the construction of new, more robust
pump stations, and the construction of
three major storm surge barriers:
t Inner Harbor Navigation Canal
(IHNC) barrier (east, at the conflu-
ence of Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
(GIWW) and Mississippi River-Gulf
Outlet (MRGO))
t Seabrook barrier (north, at the outlet
of IHNC into lake Pontchartrain
t South Gate (South of Mississippi,
outside the scope of our study)
We believe this new and improved infra-
structure is crucial and assumed in the
workshop that all would be built. Again:
Safety First!
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 15 •
STRUCTURES AND BACKBONES
A sustainable New Orleans is, prima facie,
a safe New Orleans, and that means a
city and region with increased flood pro-
tection levels. By creating safety for New
Orleans, sustainability (economic, social,
environmental) is made possible.
We identified five major structuring
elements for our regional New Orleans
strategy:
t Natural environment
t The Mississippi River
t Lake Pontchartrain
t Canals
t Historic authenticity
Strong structures have strong backbones,
and we identified four in New Orleans,
each running east-west:
t The strong levee and prominent
coastline along Lake Pontchartrain
t The strong levee and prominent river
esplanade along the Mississippi
t The Gentilly Ridge, a stretch of high,
sandy ground along the former banks
of Bayou Gentilly, running west to
east and parallel to the two backbo-
nes above
t Claiborne Avenue, between the
Gentilly Ridge and the Mississippi.
In years past, Claiborne was a promi-
nent promenade in the New Orleans
landscape, but recent urban and
transportation developments have
made it less visible. It is nonetheless
a major component of the internal
drainage network.
PRINCIPLES FOR
REDEVELOPMENT
Safety, storm water storage, a healthy
environment and a high quality of life are
the principles – the building blocks -- that
underpin our regional protection and
development model.
Safety
Protection against hurricanes, floods and
excess storm water is the sine qua non
for New Orleans redevelopment. Com-
bining the city’s structural backbones
with the Corps’ “hard shell” will enhance
protection from hurricane and storm
threats. Thus, while the Corps’ 1-in-100
year protection is crucial, this shell should
be strengthened to increase the level of
protection.
New Orleans must also be able to close
the doors of its shell in emergencies
These doors are the storm surge barriers
that are already in place at the lake end of
the outfall drainage canals (the 17th Street
Canal and the London Avenue Canal) and
those under design and construction for
the navigable canals (IHNC, Seabrook
and South Gate). In addition, the deve-
lopment and restoration of natural and
currently degraded wetlands is important,
particularly on the east side of the IHNC
and in Lake Borgne, which is perhaps the
“Achilles Heel” of the New Orleans HPS.
Looking forward, the backbones noted
above might become the natural dividing
lines between “compartments” of the
New Orleans protection system. Such
compartmentalization would prevent one
levee failure from filling the entire New
Orleans “bath tub.” It would also structure
a sense of common purpose within each
drainage compartment.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 17 •
Storm water storage
Considering New Orleans’ intense rain-
fall, enhanced drainage capacity (pumps)
and more storm water storage should be
added. In the Netherlands a combination
of these two drainage elements is most
of the time implemented. The workshop
concluded that New Orleans has focused
on pumps, mainly due to lack of space.
Adding water storage capacity would
lower the risk from localized flooding
during hurricanes and seasonal heavy
rainfall. More importantly, such capacity
would make it easier to actively manage
the water table (and risk levels), just like in
the Netherlands. The benefit of additional
water storage on protection levels should
not be underestimated.
Post-Katrina, there are unique opportu-
nities to create additional water storage.
The most common storage features are
canals, lakes and ponds, and wetlands.
Additional canal capacity already exists
within the City: many old canals were
covered or backfilled over the past
century. Conversely, new canals could
be added to existing drainage canals in
many parts of the city. Park areas could
be used for storage, and wetlands could
be created along Lake Pontchartrain,
north of the Lower Ninth Ward and the
Saint Bernard polder in Bayou Bienvenue
and/or in other bayous.
Environment and Quality of life
Adding environmental value to the city
and its surroundings will add to the City’s
sustainability. A comprehensive plan for
the city should include at least some of
the following:
t New canals in New Orleans East
to create water storage and a new
urban feel (comparable to that in the
Netherlands) where people enjoy
living near the water
t Existing canals should be reshaped
from their present “concrete culvert”
and “invisible” appearance, with
high and steep floodwalls, into more
sustainable, natural, inviting and at-
tractive elements
t Water storage in urban parkland
where the ecology can flourish and
recreation is possible
t Broadening (strengthening) levees
along the lake and the river to add
safety combined with economic/
residential development and tourism
t Compartmentalization, which will
restore prominent boulevards and
add new economic and environmen-
tal qualities like green spaces, parks,
attractive mixed-use development
along tree-lined streets and, in time,
extension of public transport (the
New Orleans street car)
t Wetland restoration in Lake Borgne
and in the bayous north of Saint
Bernard to add robust “wet” ecosy-
stems that are attractive, environmen-
tally friendly, enhance recreation and
tourism, and improve sustainability
and safety
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 19 •
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
AN ILLUSTRATION
The four-day Dutch Dialogues workshop
did not permit us to develop a compre-
hensive plan. Instead we chose to sketch
a long-term vision in which the structures,
backbones and principles for redevelop-
ment (building blocks) were integrated,
exploited, enhanced. We sought in short
to make New Orleans a safer, more at-
tractive city to live in, work in, and visit.
Super levee
Adding a super-levee along the Lake
Pontchartrain waterfront would substan-
tially improve flood protection. This levee
would be built just offshore of or beyond
the existing levee. This would enable the
development of a majestic lakeside bou-
levard, with numerous palm trees, lawns,
parks, small harbours and marinas as well
as space for new, mixed-use develop-
ment: hotels, restaurants, shops, condos
and other housing. It would create a new
waterfront for New Orleans and give the
lakefront and nearby residential areas a
new identity.
We imagine a new wetland between
this super-levee and the existing levee.
The wetland would be both a bio-filter
and safety valve, where rainwater from
nearby neighborhoods is stored and na-
turally treated. The wetland will improve
the lake’s water quality. The wetland
also forms a wet-dry buffer, and we see
opportunities to use the buffer as a water
source for internal water circulation during
dry periods.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 21 •
Islands
Adding new islands in the lake would
create a platform to absorb and lessen
storm and wave energy. The islands
are also platforms for nature, recreation,
fishing. We imagine New Orleanians
travelling by boat and by bike to the
islands, leaving life’s stresses behind to
eat crawfish and crabs, to mingle with
family and friends, to walk the beach or
take a dip in the lake.
New Water Storage
Adding new water storage is crucial. This
can be accomplished in the following
ways:
t by redeveloping existing canals. t by creating more water in the lowest t by building the connection between
New Orleans’ many hidden canals parts: New Orleans East could be Bayou St. John and City Park. During
should be transformed into proud developed into a little Venice and the wet months and major storms,
waterlines, lined by native trees and a little Vietnam. Little Vietnam is City Park could and should store more
vegetation. Bayou St. John – with actually almost there, with cozy water. This is not a major problem as
its calm, accessible water –should family-restaurants, floating houses, the bald-cypresses so prevalent there
serve as an example. Restoring floating gardens, rice-fields etc. New love to have “wet feet”. By linking the
bayous or recreating canals that Orleans is already a showcase for Bayou to the Park, we improve the
take cues from bayous transforms cultural diversity: the new Venice natural urban canopy and add water
infrastructure into desirable elements and the new Vietnam just add to the storage at the same time.
and places, and enables more ef- international appeal of the Crescent
fective water management and water City.
storage strategies. The canals also
give structure and identity to their
neighborhoods. Maybe New Orleans
will become even more beautiful than
Amsterdam!

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 23 •
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Gentilly Ridge
Gentilly Ridge is the former natural levee
of the Mississippi River and is thus an
important structure. The Ridge’s sandy
soil and elevation make it an excellent
place to live and work. The ridge is also
the natural division between the northern
and southern drainage basins (in which
northern part streams to the lake, and the
southern part drains to the industrial canal).
One crucial point: as the Ridge naturally
divides the northern and southern basins,
planners and developers must pay extra
attention to if, how and where ridge is
penetrated. Again, the importance of the
Ridge for development and for protection
should not be underestimated.
Lake Borgne and new Fresh-Water
Wetland
New or expanded fresh water wetlands
east of the City will reintroduce nature to
the City’s edge, adding new dimensions
and new opportunities. Perhaps here you
could rent a canoe, go fishing, watch the
birds, wildlife and even alligators -- if you
can paddle fast enough!
Claiborne Avenue
Claiborne Avenue should be redeveloped
as a city boulevard, with a canal down the
middle, covered by broad trees creating a
green canopy. Here, we see water that is
not only attractive but also facilitates the
drainage of storm water to the industrial
canal. We could also imagine a Streetcar
or other light rail along Claiborne Avenue.
Because this artery runs from the Huey
Long Bridge (and beyond) in Jefferson
Parish through Orleans Parish (including
beneath the elevated I-10 in Downtown
New Orleans), across the Industrial Canal
into St. Bernard Parish to Paris Road
and the I-510 connection, it presents a
unique opportunity for regional coopera-
tion, urban restoration, and emergency
evacuation.
Gentilly: A Rising Middle Class
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 25 •
4 GENTILLY: A RISING MIDDLE CLASS
The Gentilly area of New Orleans is
a mixed, middle-class neighborhood
bordered by the London Avenue Canal
and the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal
(IHNC) to the west and east, and by Lake
Pontchartrain and the Gentilly Ridge to the
north and south. Gentilly, settled primarily
in the 20th century, was reclaimed from
old cypress swamp. Much of it now lies
below sea level. Gentilly possesses great
diversity of housing typology, ethnicity, and
socio-economic class. During our short
tour there we found a proud, alternately
confident and worried population.
Gentilly’s post-Katrina redevelopment has
been ad-hoc, haphazard. Between 6000
and 8000 empty properties remain in
Gentilly, which makes it difficult to predict
the area’s future. We saw in those empty
properties, however, an opportunity to
enhance the area’s flood protection,
which in turn would make the area more
attractive to New Orleans’ middle class.
present few internal water concept more internal water
Our proposals consist of designs for the
area itself, its water management systems,
public transport and connections to New
Orleans as a whole. Flood risk reduction
for Gentilly, and for all “low” parts of the
City, were always on our minds. Given its
bounded position with confining elements
on all four sides, it is potentially a proto-
typical polder or sub-basin, where com-
prehensive water management strategies
can be applied to clarify and limit risk and
unify the sense of place.
concept circulating water
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 27 •
Our Framework
We began with the flood challenge.
Water surrounds Gentilly and it is thus
threatened by rising waters in Lake
Pontchartrain, wave energy from the Lake
(often driven by storms), and intense, pe-
riodic rainfall that overwhelms the area’s
drainage system. Each threat warrants
a response, and each response must be
integrated with the other. The responses
should also generate new, attractive
identities and opportunities for Gentilly
and the City.

Gentilly’s geomorphic variations and its

historical growth were two of our ancho-
ring themes. There is no need to invent
a new Gentilly; rediscovering an older
Gentilly is perhaps better. We therefore
sought to enliven an existing transporta-
tion connection - Elysian Fields - and an
elevated ridge – the Esplanade -- between
the City and the Lake, via Gentilly. New
“water” for the Gentilly “polder” adds
a new identity and level of safety to this
area, and urbanization can be focused concept different water identities
upon the Avenue and canals.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 29 •
Challenge 1, the New Orleans Lido in
Lake Pontchartrain
We assume that a barrier at the Rigolets
and Chef’s Pass will be built, which in
turn will substantially mitigate high water
levels in Lake Ponchatrain. We (like the
Regional Group above) propose building
a number of islands along the lakefront.
Like Venice’s Lido, such islands break
the waves and create a quiet, shallow
lagoon between the existing lakefront
and the imagined islands. No change
in lakefront elevations are warranted,
although broadening the lakefront levee
(lakeward) would provide extra protection
and maybe allow a new, densely-planted
Lakefront boulevard to be created.
The northern shores of the islands must
be built to break the waves during periods
of hard north winds. The islands’ sout-
hern shores can be gentle, soft and sandy
-- beaches are an option! The lagoon
offers opportunities for swimming, fishing
and sailing. Navigable passes between
the islands create “connections” between
the lakefront and the lake and ensure that
the lagoon water is constantly refreshed.
The islands can be used for nature, resi-
dential or recreation purposes. They can
be connected to the main land by ferries,
water-taxis or by bridges. Elysian Fields
Avenue connects the Mississippi River
and Lake Pontchartrain via a tight, linear
axis, and it also integrates various grids
in New Orleans. Elysian Fields Avenue
should terminate at the lakefront, and
that terminus is the most obvious point
to connect to one of the new islands. At
this terminus, a new harbor, restaurants,
hotels and a beautiful plaza or boardwalk
would create a welcoming public space –
a new icon for lakefront New Orleans.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 31 •
Current situation
Challenge 2: Thousand Trees Elysian
Fields Avenue

Elysian Fields Avenue should be restored

as Gentilly’s backbone. One thousand or
more native trees planted along Elysian
Fields will give shade, character and
charm. Such trees lower summer heat
stress and absorb surplus surface/ground
water. Other public spaces in Gentilly
should likewise have a native tree canopy,
giving Gentilly a feeling similar too, but
also distinct from, the Garden District.
We imagine a new streetcar line along
Elysian Fields, which would connect the
lakefront “Lido-Island” and Gentilly with
the French Quarter and the Marigny/
Bywater district.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 33 •

Challenge 3: Gentilly’s New-Old Water
System
We believe Gentilly’s water system is
insufficient and frail. Water drainage and
supply has been buried, causing leaks and
water loss, and making the groundwater
levels difficult to manage.
• 34 • WOR K S H OP N EW OR LEAN S
Current situation
Water storage in Gentilly has been ne- Our approach allows for water system
glected; making Gentilly’s water system differentiation throughout Gentilly. Gra-
more dynamic, robust, and visible is the- dients and elevation changes should
refore essential. become more visually apparent.
- O CTOB E R 1 0 /1 3 2 0 0 8
 Current situation

In Gentilly’s lowest areas, we would (re)
introduce canals with circulating water,
and in the highest parts we see a role for
wadis, which are small, grassy culverts
that fill with water during heavy showers
and then drain naturally.
The water system’s vigor, its circulating
water and its aquatic plant and fish
species, will mitigate mosquito and pest
concerns.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 35 •
 Current situation

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Challenge 4: Bayou London Avenue

At present, a huge, unsightly con- No longer will London Avenue Canal be

crete floodwall defines Gentilly’s western
border. Behind the floodwall lies the
London Avenue Canal, one of the four
major outfall canals draining central New
Orleans. The Canal’s water is brackish
due to the Canal’s open connection with
Lake Pontchartrain. The floodwall pre-
vents water from the Lake from flooding
Gentilly and then New Orleans.
solely an ugly drainage asset, but will
instead become part of Gentilly’s “public
front yard,” welcoming nature, water
and people into the community. London
Avenue Canal will become Gentilly’s
“Bayou St John.” Fresh-water will fill the
canal, and it will add a new buffer for the
area’s new, dynamic water system.

Installing a permanent pump station at the

end of the London Avenue Canal (near
the Lake) would substantially increase
flood protection levels in Gentilly. It
will also make possible new, attractive
redevelopment opportunities. The new
pump station, providing protection for
the canal behind it, will allow the removal
of the flood walls from the canal, given
coordinated internal pumping. This will,
in turn, reintegrate the canal water course
back into Gentilly’s topography.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 37 •
Challenge 5: Acupuncture

Instead of large-scale, ad-hoc deve-

lopment in Gentilly, we support a more
considered (re)development process.
Such a process should lead to nodes of
more concentrated development without,
however, changing the scale of Gentilly’s
development. This is more a matter of
changes to building and zoning codes
than to urban design practices. Those
same codes should promote (re)develop-
ment in areas with higher elevations. This
enhances safety and resiliency.

Creating new canals will increase water

storage capacity, recharge the surface
and groundwater systems, and create
a new atmosphere in Gentilly. Empty,
abandoned lots in the lower parts of
Gentilly can also be put to use, creating
playgrounds/parks or emergency water
storage for all of the “new kids on the
block.”

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 39 •
5 THE HOFFMAN TRIANGLE: A NEW URBAN
WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
The Hoffman Triangle is one of the most
vulnerable neighborhoods in New Orleans:
vulnerable to flooding and to social and
economic decay, which are exacerbated
by a lack of spatial quality. Our goal
was to reduce flooding while making the
neighborhood more attractive.
To do this, we adopted a new approach
to urban water management by replacing
parts of the existing underground drai-
nage infrastructure with a new hydraulic
system of water elements – the Cascade.
We believe that the Cascade will reduce
flood risk and improve the spatial quality
of the urban environment.
WATER AND SOIL
The Hoffman Triangle is part of the Uptown
District - between the New Orleans
Central Business District and Audubon
Boulevard, and between Mississippi River
and Xavier University.
It can be considered a coherent water
management district, with drainage infra-
structure linked to Pumping Station 1 in
the north of the area.
Two water management and urban
structure characteristics of the area are
important:
t first, the difference in elevation
between the high grounds (+14 ft)
alongside the Mississippi River Bank,
and the low grounds (-6 ft) in the
north.
t second, remarkable differences in
soil quality. Riverbank soils are steady
sandy clay, derived from thousands of
years of riverine sediment deposits.
Comparable soils are found along
the Metairie-Gentilly Ridge Ridge
and alongside Lake Pontchartrain.
Between the Metairie-Gentilly Ridge
and the riverbanks, however, the soil
composition is peat-like, in some
places tens of meters thick. This
soil works like a sponge. Because
of poor drainage management
(over-drainage), the soil is shrinking,
compacting and oxidizing, causing
ground subsidence of about 1 cm
(0.4 inches) per year.
Rainfall in southern Louisiana can be extra-
ordinarily heavy, with extremes of 8 inches
of rainfall in three hours (200 mm/3hrs).
Correspondingly, New Orleans drainage-
infrastructure and pumping-capacity in
this area are powerful hydraulic structures
(1 inch/hr the first hour; .5 inch continu-
ously) -- far more powerful than what
is used in the Netherlands. Because
floods in Hoffman Triangle’s lowest points
are common, we concluded that the
existing hydraulic system is incapable of
preventing nuisance, or worse, flooding.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 41 •
1 2

5 6
3 4

In the accompanying images, the

7 course of a rainstorm in the Uptown-
area is illustrated. Initially, the pumps
and the underground drainage sy-
stem cope with moderate rainfall. In
time, however, rainfall levels exceed
the pump/drainage capacity and wa-
ter backs up onto the streets – first in
the lower parts of the area (the Hoff-
man Triangle) and then nearby, in hi-
gher elevation neighborhoods.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 43 •
 THE PROBLEM: SUBSIDENCE
Ongoing subsidence will exacerbate
existing flood tendencies. Ongoing sub-
sidence will further damage the under-
ground drainage-system, as well as
underground drinking-water, sewerage,
electrical, and natural gas infrastructure.
This damage further restricts the drainage
• 44 • WOR K S H OP N EW OR LEAN S
system’s capabilities. This is a vicious,
self-reinforcing cycle. The area’s drinking
water system is also failing, losing 117
million-cubic-meters of water per year
because of fracture-induced seepage.
Additionally, the sewerage system –
overloaded with groundwater – performs
poorly during rainstorms.
- O CTOB E R 1 0 /1 3 2 0 0 8
Thus, both the underground and above-
ground infrastructure -- roads, homes and
commercial property -- are damaged by
soil-subsidence. Repair and maintenance
of this failing infrastructure is excessively
costly, both to private individuals, nearby
businesses and to the public sector.
The Hoffman Triangle’s ground water
level fluctuates frequently: high during
storms and hurricanes, causing flooding,
damage, discomfort and danger; and low
during dry periods and droughts, causing
or exacerbating soil subsidence. This is
not sustainable, nor does it contribute to
a safe urban environment.
Maintaining the ground-water at more
constant levels will combat the interrelated
problems of flooding, soil subsidence and
rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. The
water management system should make
it possible to introduce extra water into
the area in dry times, and to store extra
amounts of water during rainstorms.
In the Netherlands we have been imple-
menting the Retain-Store-Drain approach
over the past decade. By expanding
rainwater storage and retention capacity,
rapid removal of excess rain/storm-water
is no longer necessary. This approach
might be fruitful for New Orleans.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 45 •
 1 2
A NEW HYDRAULIC PRINCIPLE:
THE CASCADE
The Cascade is a hydraulic system com-
posed mainly of linear water-elements at
ground-level, perpendicular to the Missis-
sippi River. Run-off from higher elevations
(near the river) to lower elevations in
Hoffman Triangle will be guided by these
water-elements. Element thresholds will
prevent the water from running down-
stream too quickly. Normal groundwater
pressure from the Mississippi River will
charge the Cascade with a steady supply
• 46 • WOR K S H OP N EW OR LEAN S
of fresh groundwater. During heavy
storms, groundwater intake from the Mis-
sissippi will be reduced or closed, allo-
wing the Cascade to store large amounts
of rain water. During extreme droughts
and dry months when the groundwater
pressure is low, a simple pipe-and-pump-
system can supply the Cascade with river
water, over, not through, the levee.
- O CTOB E R 1 0 /1 3 2 0 0 8
The Cascade elements (primary and
secondary) allow water managers to
maintain ground water levels within a
narrow range, thereby adding to system
resiliency and substantially decreasing
the rate of soil subsidence. Implicitly, the
Cascade system should also decrease
infrastructure operations, maintenance
and repair costs.
3 4

Area buildings and gardens should have
retention elements that temporarily store
rainwater and storm water before delive-
ring it to the Cascade. Such elements are
commonplace in the US; they should also
be applied in New Orleans.
Note that the Cascade will have constantly
moving water, thereby mitigating pests
like mosquitoes. Native plants should be
added to Cascade thresholds, naturally
purifying the water and making it suitable
for recreation purposes.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 47 •
 pumping station

Adding Cascades Experience Riverfront

Streetcar /Light Rail 4 Zones

INTEGRATING THE CASCADE
The Uptown district is a coherent urban
district in terms of spatial coherence and
structures. The area is a grid, with 300
x 300 ft blocks, and streets 60 – 120
ft wide. Grid deviations occur due to
changing orientations and differences
in height. These deviations yield zones
with different types of land-use as the
zones extend from the Mississippi to
the Hoffman Triangle. These deviations
allow us to introduce and integrate the
Cascade into the existing urban fabric,
not only to solve the water-problem but
also to improve the spatial quality of the
urban environment.
The changing orientation of the grid
Streets in the grid are a by-product of the
plantation culture dominant in the area a
century and a half ago. The plantations
were long parcels, running perpendicular
to the river; bends in the river caused the
parcel orientation to change direction
gradually. The demise of the plantation
culture and rise of the urban grid pattern
introduced triangle-shaped zones where
the parcels merged. Today, many of
these triangles are neglected public
spaces. In the Cascade, these triangles
provide space for water storage and ve-
getation necessary for water purification.
Because the zones within the triangles
lie mainly between and parallel to the
large (underground) drainage pipes, the
Cascade’s water elements add capacity
to the drainage system. Just as important,
the once derelict triangles are transformed
into vibrant public spaces.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 49 •
pumping station

Zone 4 Zone 3
 Different zones from Mississippi to the
Hoffman Triangle.

Elevation differences yield corresponding

differences in housing typology and urban
block density. Between the Riverbank
and Pump Station 1, we can distinguish
four zones and imagine new public iden-
tities for them all within the spirit of New
Orleans.

Zone 2 Zone 1

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 51 •
 Zone 1: the Wells – centres of public life

Zone 1 is situated directly alongside the

banks of the Mississippi, generally with a
low density with a FAR (Floor Area Ratio)
less than 0.3. Surprisingly, this zone has
the highest elevation (great river views),
but low density and little residential use.
Buildings here are industrial/warehouses.
We believe that this zone has strong po-
tential for a denser, and more residential,
use. It could develop with a focus towards
the river, making a riverfront instead of
turning it’s back towards the Mississippi.

• 52 • WOR K S H OP N EW OR LEAN S - O CTOB E R 1 0 /1 3 2 0 0 8

The wells of the cascade will be located
in this zone. The wells will be attractive
public spaces, and combining them with
new, denser development (with FAR’s >
5) will enliven urban life here. Adding
a new streetcar line along the Missis-
sippi, with stops next to the wells, will also
improve the urban quality of the wells. All
new residential development and nearby
public space should have temporary water
storage elements in their design.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 53 •
 from top:
- Current situation
- New situation, normal conditions
- New situation, extreme conditions

• 54 • WOR K S H OP N EW OR LEAN S - O CTOB E R 1 0 /1 3 2 0 0 8

Zone 2 : Cascade integrated into the
public space
Zone 2 is the most densely populated and
built residential area (estimated FAR >
1.5). This zone is relatively high and dry,
removed from industry, and is a typical
residential New Orleans neighborhood.
Most of the area’s buildings are well-
maintained and in a good shape. Much
of the public space, however, is in less
than ideal condition. Our challenge is to
improve the quality of the public space
with respect to the current communities.
The Cascade can be constructed along
some of the existing right-of-ways ex-
tending away from the Mississippi and
between the streets running north to
south that are important for car-traffic.
Constructing the Cascade at grade may
radically improve the public space: the
cascade will become a recreation zone
where people learn to live with water,
and it will provide attractive bicycle and
pedestrian routes linking streets and
neighborhoods. The Cascade can
absorb varying amounts of water: small
amounts in dry periods, large amounts
during storms.
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 55 •
 Zone 3: Cascade integrated in the
urban blocks

This area is particularly vulnerable to floo-
ding, and many households in the zone
are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
Many blocks have residential return at just
50% and have an estimated FAR of less
than 0.5. Many shotgun houses can be
found in this zone.
To increase this area’s desirability, we
imagine integrating the Cascade-system
into the interior of the block. By doing so,
we provide unique quality to the backyards
and gardens of the residents; we also
introduce a special quality to these lots
not found elsewhere in New Orleans.

• 56 • WOR K S H OP N EW OR LEAN S - O CTOB E R 1 0 /1 3 2 0 0 8

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 57 •
 Zone 4: Wetlands Residential
Zone 4 concerns the Hoffman Trian-
gle and surroundings. Here we need to
create substantial water storage capa-
city to prevent an overload of the pump
station. Because residential density in
the Triangle is low (still recovering from
Katrina), creating new water storage
should be possible. We imagine a
• 58 • WOR K S H OP N EW OR LEAN S
carefully-prepared urban design, which
defines where water storage will located,
the landscaping of this ‘water-park,’ and
the relation between the water-park and
residential lots. Instead of being simply
the ‘lowest’ part of the area, Hoffman
Triangle can become a very attractive
residential area with perhaps new forms
of housing in which the water-park is an
advantage rather than disadvantage.
- O CTOB E R 1 0 /1 3 2 0 0 8
CONCLUSION:

The Cascade and its water elements

will be integrated into the existing urban
fabric. It will substantially reduce flood
risk, control subsidence, provide more
spatial quality and coherence, and allow
the different zones/neighbourhoods to
capitalize on their own identity and exploit
the special conditions of their blocks and
streets. This new, diversified urban fabric
will attract different people with different
lifestyles, which we believe is an existing
hallmark of New Orleans. The Cascade
yields higher residential densities at the
highest elevations, which will mean that
other, more vulnerable areas can be rebuilt
with lower density neighborhoods.

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 59 •
A APPENDIX - PARTICIPANTS
WORKSHOP DIRECTORS
Paul Farmer (American Planning Association, APA)
David Waggonner (Waggonner & Ball Architects)
Dale Morris (Royal Netherlands Embassy)
REGIONAL GROUP PARTICIPANTS
Dutch
Joost Buntsma (Netherlands Ministry for Transport, Public Works
and Water Management)
Piet Dircke (Arcadis)
Hans ten Hoeve (Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and
Housing)
Steven Slabbers (Bosch Slabbers, Landscape Architects)
Marco van Steekelenburg (Province of South Holland)
American
John Beckman (Wallace Roberts Todd)
Rich Campanella (Tulane University)
Fernado Costa (City of Fort Worth)
Rami Diaz (Waggonner & Ball Architects)
Kristina Hill (University of Virginia)
Linda Mathies (DHV)
Elizabeth Mossop (Louisiana State University)
John Reinhardt (APA)
Jim Schwab (APA)
Denis Taylor (Audubon Engineers)
Steve Villavaso (Villavaso & Associates)
Trinh Vu (Waggonner & Ball Architects)
Marie York (Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions)
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 61 •
GENTILLY GROUP PARTICIPANTS
Dutch
Wybren Epema (Independent Advisor)
Frank de Graaf (DHV)
Pieter de Greef (City of Rotterdam)
Robbert de Koning (Robbert de Koning Architects)
Ton Schaap (City of Amsterdam)
Rens Wijnakker (student at University of Wageningen)
Peter Wijsman (Arcadis)
American
Mac Ball (Waggonner & Ball Architects)
Jane Brooks (University of New Orleans)
David Dixon (Goody Clancy)
Suzanne (Lee) Farmer (DMJM/Harris)
Will Marshall (Waggonner & Ball Architects)
Wes Michaels, (Mossop & Michaels)
Grover Mouton (Tulane School of Architecture)
Allison Plyer (Great NO Community Data Center)\
Edmund Schrenk (Schrenk & Peterson)
HOFFMAN TRIANGLE GROUP PARTICIPANTS
Dutch
Daniel Goedbloed (dS+V, Rotterdam)
Stijn Koole (Bosch Slabbers, Landscape Architects)
Han Meyer (TU-Delft)
Roelof Stuurman (Deltares)
Anne Sietske Verburg (student at University of Wageningen)
Martijn Vos (NIROV)
American
Robert Brackham (Tulane University)
Jeff Carney (LSU)
Derek Hoeferlin (Washington University)
John Kleinschmidt (Waggonner & Ball Architects)
John Klingman (Tulane University)
Ray Manning (Manning Architects)
Jakob Rosenzweig (Tulane University)
Jeff Soule (APA)
Jess Garz (Waggonner & Ball Architects)
D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 63 •
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

C O O R D I N AT I N G E D I T O R S P HOTO G RAP H S

Dale Morris Additional photographes to the

David Waggonner workshop images on pages:
3,4,6,8,10,12,36,38,58,60
TEXT WRITERS made by:
Introduction and Process Daniel Goedbloed
Dale Morris Steven Slabbers
Robbert de Koning
Regional Scale Waggonner & Ball Architects
Piet Dircke H3 Studio (cover)
Steven Slabbers
L AY- O U T

Gentilly Stijn Koole

Robbert de Koning
Ton Schaap D AT E

March 2009
Hoffman Triangle
Daniel Goedbloed
Stijn Koole
Han Meyer
Roelof Stuurman

• 64 • WOR K S H OP N EW OR LEAN S - O CTOB E R 1 0 /1 3 2 0 0 8

 SPONSORS

Associated Office Systems

Barriere
Fertel
Laborde Marine
Louisiana Economic Development
Mignon Faget
Netherlands Water Partnership

D U TCH D I A LO G U E S I I • 65 •