The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the New Orleans neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 8 areas vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. This week we'll have two matchups per day, and all the results and the full tournament bracket will be reviewed on Friday. Voting for each pairing ends 24 hours after it begins. Let the eliminations commence!

Today’s final four match is Mid-City versus Tremé: a rapidly developing neighborhood against a New Orleans jewel.

Mid-City

Mid-City has had a full year of developments. Recently, The City of New Orleans opened its first permanent VA Medical Center since Hurricane Katrina. The new center sits just beside the University Medical Center in the near complete medical district.

Additionally, the Mid-City Market, located on North Carrollton Avenue, has continued to mature into a neighborhood Hub. According to Developer Stirling Properties, owner of Mid-City market, the Carrollton shopping center is a fully leased as of October of 2016. The adjacent shopping center opened a new Marshall’s and Petco this past Fall.

Moreover, the Lafitte Greenway, which was completed in November of 2015, was selected by the National Recreation and Park Association to undergo renovations to create a community common area. Sidney Torres IV is even in the works of developing a new Mid-City apartment complex, located by the Lafitte Greenway.

Adding on to the city’s extensive list of developments, the Welcome Table of New Orleans recently unveiled its new paved community circle, located on Jefferson Davis Parkway and Cleveland Avenue. Now that’s a mouthful.

Tremé

The neighborhood of Tremé is known for its original and creole-centered architecture and being the birth place of some of New Orleans-centric musical and visual art. Art and architecture aside, is the oldest subdivision in New Orleans at 204 years old. The neighborhood is also home to some iconic landmarks, including one of the oldest churches in the nation, the St. Augustine Catholic Church, and areas including Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square.

One of the largest developments affecting Tremé this year is the completion of the North Rampart streetcar line. Moreover, In September, the historic Faubourg Tremé Association held its second annual Tremé Festival, which celebrated the St. Augustine Catholic Church turning 175 year old.

This past December, the Tremé neighborhood made its debut on the HGTV Property Brothers show, “Brothers Take New Orleans.” The Property Brothers competed in a challenge to remodel the best rendition of a double shotgun home.