Discovering the Water Assets of the Greater New Orleans Region: A study to develop strategies to build a water economy

NOLAVibe is conducting a study of seven water sectors in the 13 parish Greater New Orleans region.

The purpose of this study is to:

• identify and map water-related assets, opportunities, and challenges
• determine how well these assets and challenges interact
• recommend strategies to guide investment of money, time, and resources to support the regional water economy.

The report is intended to be a “roadmap” for decision-makers and funders.

This study seeks to answer two fundamental questions:

1. What are the water-related assets of the Greater New Orleans region? 
2. What can we do to more effectively align these assets and build a sustainable water economy capable of competing in the global marketplace?

The research uses a mixed methods approach to examine seven Louisiana water sectors:

• Coastal and environmental management including surge, flood, mitigation, and disaster systems
• Maritime, ports, and navigation 
• Municipal water, sewerage, and drainage Infrastructure 
• Industry, energy, and manufacturing
• Agriculture, fisheries, and food systems
• Water law and policy
• Cultural and ecological tourism

Analytical tools include one developed by NOLAVibe. staulR™ is a tool to identify who is: Spending, Training, Advocating, Using, Leading, and the framework of existing Resources, both natural and social. This tool will be applied to each sector, and used to guide key interview questions.

The timeline of the study is June 2015 through January 2016.

The research will be reviewed by the following public and private sector experts:

Jeff Carney, Director of the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio 
Byron Clayton, Ph.D., President and CEO, Research Park Corporation 
Mark Davis, JD, Director of the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law & Policy 
Mike Eckert, Chairman, NO/LA Angel Network
Sandra Gunner, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Community Development, Governor’s Office of Community Development
Pamela Jenkins, Ph.D., Emeritus Research Professor of Sociology, University of New Orleans Center for Hazards Assessment, Research, and Technology
Elisa Speranza, Chief Communications Officer, CH2M

This study is supported by the Neighborhood Partnership Network, and made possible by a $50,000 grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

staulR is a TradeMark and intellectual property of NOLAVibe available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.