City Beautiful | New Orleans Parks

How and Why

To begin...

Target area is selected, neighbors invited for a planning session.

Team is composed possibly including:

Captain (a neighborhood person skilled at organization who serves as point person for communications)
Email list (anyone can join as there is no need for memberships, dues, meetings and time consuming volunteer activities not related to work at hand)
Contacts (person at Parkways to approve plans and support with allied services and a mentoring coordinator, skilled in planting and landscaping urban areas)

After a plan is developed and approved, the space is cleaned, beds readied, plantings occur, and publicity/party! (The last is required in New Orleans I think).

Tending is the activity where regular scheduled maintenance occurs whether watering, weeding, litter pickup, pruning or fertilizing. Ongoing duties assigned volunteers who should be enfranchised in the project.

Some places and some neighborhoods may need or want to raise funds for professional help to repair infrastructure, buy plant material, pay for landscaper or purchase art. Fundraising activities may vary from neighborhood solicitations, business donations, events or grants. Money should be sheltered in the umbrella organization and released by the mentor and/or the captain as needed and appropriate.

Other activities may occur to CBC participants particularly after initial successes. None should detract from sustaining the project or over extend a group's inherent capabilities. But the group might assist other neighbors needing assistance with their yards or address businesses with landscaping issues.

What will “they” say?

The powers-to-be and the “nay” sayers can often be perceived as reasons not to expect improvements and accomplishment can be made by small scale actions. But placemaking advocates remind us that “government can set places up to self-manage, and even self-govern, by creating a culture of engagement in the community that supports a given space.”

Convincing municipal authorities to take chance on citizen's grass root efforts will be easier if interested civic minded volunteers approach with an organized structure and oversight and small scale goals. Clubs, associated with recognized academic/professional guidance should be able to gain the trust of city's leadership.

Unlike many major improvements and remakes of large urban spaces, these small efforts won't drain public coffers and attract serious opponents. Yet their additive affect should result in a slow but beautiful locally improved environment.

City Beautiful Committee and Neighborhood Teams

We are folks who take an interest in the public places outside our front doors.

We want clean, beautiful, attractive and safe places we can be proud of as citizens of this great city.

We are willing to work and partner with municipal services, building mutual respect and achieving small scale incremental changes which overtime result in special places we built together.

The View From Your Front Door

Step outside and notice the potential of your neighborhood. When you become part of the City Beautiful team, you experience the transformation of an area you made a little greener....a little cleaner. Neighborhoods blossom.

The City Beautiful Mission

A renewed civic involvement in the enhancement of our urbanscapes by those who live in closest proximity to these public spaces is the goal. The result is inviting, litter free, safe and green public open spaces and strong community binds to it.

Our associates plant, tend and sustain greenery, furnishings and ornaments in parks, bus stops, playgrounds, and varied public areas with support from municipal authorities and guidance from community horticultural resources.

OPERATIONS

Cooperation with Municipal Departments
City Beautiful works directly with the public, city planners and lawmakers to create effective partnerships in public collaborations.

Partnering with Professional Guidance
City Beautiful seeks skilled assistance to lead the team in education and training with the goal of maximizing results.

Funding Sources
City Beautiful is ideally self funding where residents and neighboring businesses sustain projects and maintenance. Grants, donations and other underwriting are graciously accepted.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Increased green space creates a better environment.
Well maintained plantings showcase community pride & stability.
Leadership from landscape/environmental experts educates people on best gardening practices.
Cooperative action and fundraising increase social capital.
Enhancements make better impressions for visiting tourists.