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Neighborhoods in District 1 French Quarter Central Business District (CBD) Warehouse District

Although Canal Street once acted as the “neutral ground” between competing populations, today, the Vieux Carré, Central Business District and Warehouse District share common interests.
 
The Vieux Carré, founded in 1718, was the original township of New Orleans.  The neighborhood was built upon a traditional French military plan with a symmetrical gridiron street pattern and a central square (known today as Jackson Square), but devastating fires in 1788 and 1794 and the subsequent Spanish rebuilding resulted in the distinctive character of the district today: brick and stucco walls, tile roofs and iron balconies.  These fires also encouraged development along the river in the present day CBD which, following the Louisiana Purchase, became a neighborhood for arriving Americans.  The mid-19th Century was a busy development period for the CBD, but the Civil War brought an abrupt end to construction as businesses were ruined and the economy slowed. As the economy of the City recovered, the CBD’s position as the commercial heart and economic engine of the City was restored.

More recently, the CBD suffered a setback during the oil crisis of the 1980’s and the restructuring of the oil industry in the 1990’s; but a growing tourism and convention market and a continued abundance of affordable, high quality office space have brought vitality back to the district.  Similarly, the adjacent Warehouse District, filled with 19th Century warehouses that once served the industrial needs of the CBD, has become the arts center of New Orleans.

Continued growth throughout District 1 was anticipated prior to Katrina. Immediately prior to the hurricane, residential use represented only a small percentage of land use in the district, but a slew of proposed and recently completed residential projects portended a greater diversity of uses and a transition to a more “24 hour” downtown. The residential units within District 1 are predominantly renter occupied, and its residents are mostly white. However, a substantial number of pre-existing rental units were being transformed into condominiums; and a significant number of new condominium projects had been announced immediately prior to Hurricane Katrina.

Due to its location on some of the highest ground in the City of New Orleans, flood damage was minimal in comparison to other areas. The District did experience significant damage to structures as a result of wind damage and to stores as a result of looting. (Sources: City of New Orleans 1999 Land Use Plan and GCR & Associates, Inc.)

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New Orleans
Neighborhood Planning Districts

1: French Quarter/CBD
2: Central City/Garden District
3: Uptown/Carrollton
4: Mid-City
5: Lakeview
6: Gentilly
7: Bywater
8: Lower Ninth Ward
9: New Orleans East
10: Village de L’Est
11: Viavant/Venetian Isles
12: Algiers
13: New Aurora/English Turn

NORA
New Orleans
Redevelopment Authority
1340 Poydras Street
Suite 600
New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
tel: 504-658-4400
fax: 504-658-4551