Master Plan Amendments

A city’s Master Plan is essentially the guide for its development over the next few decades—New Orleans’ looks ahead all the way to 2030.  The Plan tackles many topics—housing, water management, historic preservation, but, amazingly, included virtually no guidance for the preservation and development of the city’s culture.  

In 2016, we decided to change that, so we developed a focus group, largely consisting of traditional culture bearers, and developed a series of amendments that would create a series of protections for cultural activity in New Orleans, which were approved by the City Council and adopted as an official part of New Orleans Master Plan.

These amendments do the following:

1. Instruct the City to undertake a comprehensive survey of existing musically, historically, and spiritually important cultural sites, including strategies for preservation.

2. Create a pathway to allow historic music venues to re-open and once again host live music.

3. Instruct the City to develop a grant program for the soundproofing of businesses, with an emphasis on bars and music venues.

4. Encourage businesses and facilities that promote New Orleans culture through music, entertainment, dance, art, and oral traditions.

5. Instruct the city to ensure that traditional and neighborhood based cultural programming has a space in all city-run community and recreation centers.

6. Encourage culturally sensitive quality-of-life enforcement and add language highlighting the importance of preserving and promoting long standing cultural activity within neighborhoods.