The Lafitte Greenway

The Lafitte Greenway is a 2.6-mile long linear park and multi-use trail in the heart of New Orleans. The Greenway features recreational facilities, fitness and cultural programming, open green space, and innovative stormwater management features. Managed by New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORD), the Greenway opened in 2015 after years of community driven support to turn a formerly abandoned railroad corridor into a public green space that connects an array of diverse New Orleans communities. 

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About Friends of Lafitte Greenway

Friends of Lafitte Greenway (Friends) is the community-driven non-profit organization that works in partnership with the City and the community to ensure the Greenway develops into a safe, vibrant, and active park. Friends formed in 2006, when community members saw an opportunity after Hurricane Katrina to rethink the landscape and transform vacant land into a linear park and trail. What began in the minds of those community members grew into a non-profit and community-wide advocacy initiative to create a new public space that would create economic, environmental, health, and cultural benefits for New Orleans.

Today, Friends of Lafitte Greenway is the official private partner to the City of New Orleans in planning, programming, and operations on the Greenway. We deliver high-quality programming, advocacy and improvements to make the Greenway great. 

Mission

Friends of Lafitte Greenway works to build, program and promote the Lafitte Greenway as a great public space.

Vision

A healthy and vibrant Greenway that connects people to nature, their destinations, and each other.

Values

Accountability, Equity, Sustainability, Collaboration, Joy

Our Commitment to Equity 

The Lafitte Greenway, a 2.6 mile linear park connecting six neighborhoods from City Park to the French Quarter, features a premier walking and biking trail and is the outcome of a democratic, volunteer-led effort to create a community asset anchored in equity. Equity acknowledges the imbalance of resources and accessibility to opportunities and seeks to balance this disparity. 

The Board of Directors of Friends of Lafitte Greenway (Board of Friends), which manages the Greenway in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission, recognizes that New Orleans’ history of racism and segregation is embedded in public and private institutions, the effects of which play out in many areas of society, including our public spaces. 

The Board of Friends is committed to reversing disparities in access to green spaces by prioritizing equity within the organization and by ensuring we develop a public space open and welcoming to ALL. The Board of Friends will measure the success of its equitable development strategy against the following key elements:

Representation: Citizens of New Orleans are all stakeholders, as such, the board and staff of Friends shall welcome and reflect the communities surrounding the Lafitte Greenway trail, to ensure that the Greenway trail remains a shared public space. 

Transparency: The board and staff of Friends will provide leadership, transparency, and accountability to stakeholders regarding the development and programming of the Lafitte Greenway. 

Community Engagement: The board and staff of Friends will maintain open lines of communication with the neighboring communities to ensure that the community’s collective voice is heard, considered, and is factored into final board and executive decisions that directly impact the neighboring Greenway communities, or that impact the sustainability of a healthy public park system.

Impact: The board and staff of Friends will track its fulfillment of equity goals via our strategic plan and yearly organization reviews. The board and staff of Friends recognize that regular analysis and realignment of our vision and goals is an integral part of our growth and development.

An equitable Greenway is a gathering place accessible to everyone, and importantly, enjoyed by the surrounding diverse communities.

Click here to download our 2023 Annual Report