Walkable Hydrology: Creating a New Public realm Ground-scape for New Orleans

Abstract

The City of New Orleans and its response to water has been characterized by exclusion and separation. Currently climate change has made the exclusion of water from the city streetscape impossible, large rain events resulting in localized flooding have become a frequent occurrence. These events cause the public to be separated from the public right of way. The thesis focuses on developing a public ground-scape that reintroduces the public right of way to its geologic character below. The design explores developing a system of hydraulic tile modules that function to detain excess water from large storm events, allowing it to be absorbed by the surrounding soil, reimagining a public right of way that provides space for water and people to occupy.