Concordia facilitated a community planning process for the neighborhood of Central City in New Orleans, which resulted in a comprehensive plan and served to create the Central City Renaissance Alliance, a nonprofit composed of community leaders charged to implement the resulting plan. This project was funded jointly by the City of New Orleans and the Ford Foundation to direct the City in delivery of services and resources while strengthening the community’s leadership base for ongoing development. The process engaged Central City residents and stakeholders in conversations to share ideas, concerns, and strategies.
Central City survived Hurricane Katrina with a robust organizational capacity to address recovery and redevelopment. The Revitalization Plan was adapted for post-disaster implementation, led by the Central City Renaissance Alliance, and the community’s previous association with national foundations expanded to create a funders’ collaborative that is working closely with the community to support catalytic projects.
