The New Orleans Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance was built upon a long-range framework for the core systems that shape the city’s social, environmental, and economic future.

Two of the most important components of the Ordinance are the incorporation of “place-making” standards and development regulations that further the City’s sustainability and resiliency objectives.

The process in New Orleans included creating districts that reflect the eight “places” within the City: (1) the historic core, (2) urban neighborhoods, (3) suburban neighborhoods, (4) rural residential areas, (5) open space, (6) destination centers, (7) employment centers, and (8) downtown.

Additional key concepts within the ordinance include preservation of historic neighborhood character, facilitation of new mixed-use development, creation of new activity centers linked to form and function, and creation of standards to support the City’s valuable industrial base.