In 2016, 3 Winning teams imagine a more sustainable Lower Mississippi River Delta, design teams from around the world create innovative visions for one of America’s greatest natural resources.

Competing teams were tasked with developing 100-year visions for restoring and sustaining Louisiana’s eroding coast for the people, communities and industries that call the region home. These innovative ideas addressed a variety of factors, and they promote a sustainable delta that will continue to provide for future generations.

Changing Course hopes to encourage and inform thoughtful discussion among the residents, industries, communities and governments of southeast Louisiana about how the region can become more resilient and prosperous while dealing with the practical challenges of land loss and sea level rise. The ideas generated by the three winning teams – Baird & AssociatesMoffatt & Nichol and Studio Misi-Ziibi – serve as a starting point for that discussion.

Building off of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, the teams generated designs for how the Mississippi River’s water and sediment can be used to maximize rebuilding of delta wetlands over the next 100 years while also continuing to meet the needs of navigation and flood protection.

While each of the winning teams offered a different vision, all three identified the same key requirements as critical to sustaining the Mississippi River Delta today and into the future:

  • Reconnecting the Mississippi River to its wetlands to help restore southeast Louisiana’s first line of defense against powerful storms and rising sea levels.
  • Planning for a sustainable delta, including a gradual shift in population to create more protected and resilient communities.
    Protecting and maximizing the region’s port and maritime activities, including moving the navigation channel further up within the system.
  • Increasing economic opportunities in a future smaller delta through expanding shipping capacity, coastal restoration infrastructure, outdoor recreation and tourism and commercial fishing.

Each team’s designs can be downloaded from dropbox in summary. 

A Delta for All | The Giving Delta | The Living Delta

Team’s designs can be downloaded from dropbox in summary, or see the full reports.

The original content from changingcourse.us has been disabled. If you are looking for more information about the event including the full reports, competitors, or partner organizations, please email info@mississippiriverdelta.org