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The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 neighborhoods vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. We’ll reveal each of the neighborhoods this week, and polls will be open for 24 hours so you can cast your vote as to which ones should advance. Let the eliminations commence!
Lower 9th Ward
In Curbed Cup 2016, this resilient neighborhood made it to the final four, losing to Algiers Point.
This year has been an exciting one for the Lower 9. For starters, three of Brad Pitt’s Make it Right foundation homes hit the market.
In November, a second line honoring the late Fats Domino paraded through the Lower 9th Ward, ending at his former home on Caffin Avenue.
On the development end, we’ve seen Lower 9th Ward Market’s Burnell Cotlon expand his all inclusive store to include a music playground. The market owner also started a campaign to create the neighborhood’s first Internet cafe.
We also heard from the Backyard Gardeners Network, which is an organization that fights blights and builds community through gardening. Founder Jenga Mwendo and program coordinator Courtney Clark jumpstarted the organization’s Food as Medicine community arm, which has classes geared toward assisting Lower 9th Ward residents in shopping for fresh food and preventing food-related diseases.
Gentilly
Challenging the Lower 9 is this expansive neighborhood that borders Lake Pontchartrain.
This June, our friends at NeighborhoodX found that Gentilly ranks among some of New Orleans’s least expensive neighborhoods. In fact, this Gentilly shotgun that asked $90,000 ranked as one of our favorite homes this year.
It’s safe to say that dwellings are one of the many strongpoints of this neighborhoods. Beyond the several renovations we’ve covered this year in the neighborhood, three Gentilly homeowners showcased their homes during the 2017 Parade of Homes.
Now, the decision is in your hands: Which neighborhood should advance to the next round? Cast your vote in the poll below.