Some exciting new changes in scenery are coming along the Greenway: rehabilitation to the meadows, bioswales, and walkways is now underway! Areas along the Greenway from N. Claiborne to N Galvez will be seeing new life this spring and summer.

One of our beloved Greenway Ambassadors, Felix Rainey, was born and raised in New Orleans. While growing up near the Bayou St. John, which was once a shipping route for transporting supplies to the canal, he first worked as a food server at Arnaud’s Restaurant. Today, he still lives in Mid-City and continues to work in the food industry, in addition to being an active volunteer in his community.

Adam Mejerson came to New Orleans as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity to assist with housing clean up after Hurricane Katrina. He went on to attend Loyola University, where he was active in recovery and blight remediation work. It was there that he became passionate about transforming vacant lots into productive spaces for community. As the son of an exercise physiologist, Adam grew up in a home designed to include various fitness facilities such as yoga. “I kinda grew up in a gym”, says Adam. These worlds came together 4 years ago when, in partnership with his father, Adam founded FitLot--a nonprofit that works to plan, build, and program outdoor fitness parks.

One of our New Year’s Resolutions is to tell the stories of the Greenway and the people who love it. We’re delighted to introduce a new section of our blog, The Green Spot, our monthly spotlight on Greenway users, supporters, and neighbors.

Our first Green Spot features one of our valued board members, Kevin Centanni, a New Orleans native and local business owner. His building is home to Susan Spicer's Rosedale, located along the railroad tracks in Lakeview, alongside the trail extension envisioned in the Greenway Master Plan. The historic and cultural significance of this New Orleans location was something that Centanni hoped to maintain while building his restaurant, which was a previously neglected and abandoned property across the street from his home. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it” he said, until he met the highly renowned chef, Susan Spicer. He thought, “what better chef to be the landlord for in New Orleans?”

The UNO Transportation Institute tracks how many people use the Greenway using automated counters installed on the Greenway at Jeff. Davis and N. Galvez Street. In 2016, the Greenway's first full year open, an average of 746 people per day used the Greenway in the Jeff. Davis section alone.

The data show that the Greenway is most heavily used from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, and it's consistently busy every day of the week. October was the Greenway's busiest month, with an average of 1,158 daily users at Jeff. Davis.

For more details, see the full report.

Help us build, program, and promote the Lafitte Greenway as a great public space. 

Call for board members: 2017-2019 Term

Deadline to Apply: Thursday, January 5, 2017

Friends of Lafitte Greenway was formed in early 2006 by New Orleans community members who saw an opportunity to rethink the city's landscape to enhance livability, environmental sustainability, open space equity, and health. The organization built a network of diverse constituents who shared its vision of preserving the continuous open space in the former Lafitte rail corridor, and developing a greenway amenity that encourages active living, facilitates economic development, and links adjacent neighborhoods, cultural features, historic sites, retail areas and public spaces.

The National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) will host their annual conference in New Orleans in September, 2017, and has chosen the Lafitte Greenway as their legacy project. Portions of the Lafitte Greenway will undergo significant renovations as donors and local companies alike come together to transform the area into a vibrant public space where residents of all ages can gather and play. Read more here.

The City of New Orleans has secured funding from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to implement a series of drainage upgrade and green infrastructure projects across the city with a goal to reduce flooding. One such project is in design near the Lafitte Greenway.

Located between the Lafitte Greenway and Orleans Avenue in the Mid City neighborhood, the 33-acre Hagan-Lafitte site is comprised of one neighborhood park and 23-blocks of residential and commercial properties stretching from Bayou St. John to North Broad Street.

The Greenway Soirée is just a few days away, and our silent auction packages are looking mighty fine. There's something on these boards to please any Greenway fan! Many thanks to all of the incredible businesses who made this auction possible. Don't miss the auction this Friday!

Auction Section A - Closes at 9:15pm

Last weekend, we celebrated National Public Lands Day and Bike Your Park Day with the National Parks Service Jazz Rangers. Community members from 5 different neighborhoods came out on a 7-mile bike ride and tour of New Orleans jazz history, Greenway history, and stormwater management. Our guide from the National Park Service, Chandra Teddleton, compared the development of Jazz music to making a gumbo, starting with the roux of cultural traditions from West African slaves and local Creoles.