Eight neighborhood organizations are finalizing plans for an equity circle to be placed in the middle of New Orleans.
On December 11, Welcome Table New Orleans members will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mid-City’s equity circle. The paved circle will be located on the Jefferson Parkway neutral ground, in between Canal Street and Cleveland Avenue.
According to Mid-City Messenger, the circle space will be dedicated area for conversations of unity and cooperation between communities. This idea developed out of Welcome Table New Orleans, which is a initiative under Mayor Mitch Landrieu that focuses on increasing unity between communities in New Orleans.
The equity circle will feature a compass rose, in the middle of the pavement area, symbolizing Mid-City as the center of New Orleans and a common ground between communities. The participating organizations plan to use the space to hold community meetings. The space will be open to the public.
The project is being led by the Carrollton Neighborhood Group, which is one of eight participants in the Welcome Table New Orleans. The circle, in some cases, is also called the Carrollton circle.
“Mid-City is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in New Orleans,” the Carrollton Neighborhood Group wrote in its design proposal to the city planning commission this past August.
“The Carrollton Circle will turn the neutral ground into an area of unity by adding paving and benches for people to circle up in conversation.”
The equity circle is planned to be low maintenance. According to the proposal, the design will implement durable concrete material, and low maintenance trees provided by the city’s Department of Park and Parkways.
- ‘Welcome Table’ group creating ‘Equity Circle’ in Mid-City [Mid-City Messenger]
- Design Proposal [Design Advisory Committee]