The website title says "New Orleans, Bulbancha" and "Water Map"

Fall 2024: Levees, Drainage, and Evacuations

Our fall issue focuses on levees, what they make possible, their drawbacks, and what it might take to reimagine our relationship to flood protection and water. Use this map to explore the levee and drainage system, landmarks, and also evacuation routes and other related data layers. AND, we'd love your feedback as we continue developing our digital resources. What layers and information would you like to see? How can we make this map more useful to you? Shoot us an email at hello@waterleadersinstitute.com to let us know.

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Water Map

The Water Map begins with the knowledge that we are a delta city, and that the flow of water will shape the future of our city. Since 2020, a multidisciplinary team has been collecting data, researching histories, and developing graphics to kick off this project.
 
Join us in the months ahead for public workshops and opportunities to provide feedback and input on the work-in-progress. Our goal is to distribute a first version of the paper map this spring and to launch in fall 2023. Explore Water Map Stories and learn more below.

Work in progress

We are testing the use of different colors to show land elevation and different patterns and textures to show things like wetlands. We’re creating custom symbols to represent key landmarks, infrastructure, and important ideas.

Mapping and Drawing

Modern mapping technologies allow us to layer different kinds of maps and data. Some of the data layers we are exploring include topography and bathymetry (land elevation and water depth), soil types, historic maps, infrastructure, and water, of course.

How We Work

We are a team of designers, researchers, thinkers, and artists. We are testing different ways to fold paper, looking at historic maps, attempting to draw water and infrastructure, and capturing critical information and stories through images and symbols.

About

Where can I fish or put a boat in water? How do I learn about drainage pump stations, where my drinking water comes from, or where sewage is treated? What parts of the city are below sea level? Where can I learn about the city’s resilience and green infrastructure projects, or how Native Americans lived in relation to water?
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The Water Map New Orleans / Water Map Bulbancha (learn more about Bulbancha) is a multimedia platform for exploring these questions, and for building towards a collective vision for what “living with water” will look like in the years ahead. The online and printed maps combine water systems information with stories and histories, artwork, and educational materials. Together, these resources will build environmental knowledge and inspire learning, dialog, and collective stewardship of the region’s waterways, waterfronts, wetlands, and infrastructure.

Team

Coordination
Aron Chang
Graphics and Maps Research
Austin Hogans
Interviewing and Writing
Chasity Hunter
Creative Direction
Collection of Collections
Graphics & Web Development
Jihad Doucette
Research, Writing, and Mapping
Joanna Farley
Graphics and Maps Research
John Mouton
GIS and Mapping
Mike Biros

Advisors

Blake Bertuccelli
Carol Bebelle
Eriks Reks
Shana M. griffin
Tanya James

Water Map Stories

Muck, roots, deep dives, buoys, and overflow

Life at the Levee

From Algiers Point to Bucktown to Lincoln Beach, explore some of the many locations where people in New Orleans and Bulbancha live on or around levees through the camera lens of Christine "Cfreedom" Brown.

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Resources on Levees

Our fall 2024 issue of the Water Map focuses on the topic of levees. Interested in learning more? Here are some of the readings and resources that informed our work. 

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Introducing the Water Map

Where can I fish or put a boat in water? Or maybe visit with alligators? How do I learn about drainage pump stations or where my sewage is treated?

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Where are we in the process?

Since summer 2020, a multidisciplinary team has been collecting data, researching histories, developing graphics, and creating prototypes.

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Water Map Stories

Get in The Flow

Help bring this project to life

Together, we can create paper and digital resources that provide every resident with the information and resources critical to building water literacy, and for building towards a collective vision for “living with water.” Email hello@waterleadersinstitute.com with questions, comments, to sponsor the project, or to get involved.

Download Print Map

Partners & Supporters

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS and COLLECTIVES
Gulf South Open School, National Performance Network (Southern Artists for Social Change),
New Orleans Center for the Gulf South (Monroe Fellowship), The Water Collaborative, Meraux Foundation,
National Endowment for the Arts  
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ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Studio Kiro, Henry Consulting LLC, Defend New Orleans, Waggonner & Ball,
Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, River Queen Greens, and over 60 individual donors

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