Mississippi River Plug-In

The Mississippi River Plug-In is a project that addresses coastal urbanism and resiliency beyond physical matter. The vitality of the Mississippi River is threatened by climate change; a problem compounded by population loss and soft ground recession. While this issue is seen in various water-adjacent cities, the Mississippi River Plug-In focuses on the New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) region - a uniquely fascinating space. New Orleans is dominated by the existence of the French Quarter, a district heavily popularized by tourism, media, social studies, and history; it is the first image of New Orleans to many. The city and river are currently disjointed, and there have been several efforts to introduce pedestrian-oriented spaces between the two, but have been largely unsuccessful due to necessary seawalls and levees. Taking advantage of this situation, the Plug-In project attaches itself and expands the footprint of the French Quarter through floating architecture onto the surface of the river. As an adaptable and flexible platform, the Plug-In project is intended to revitalize the city in congruence with current development plans to transform the historic riverfront. It is a unique opportunity for the various user-groups of New Orleans, from start-up creatives to satellites of well-established New Orleans businesses, to engage with the riverfront, overturn the declining urbanism, and introduce a new life along the Mississippi. The opportunity is provided by the meeting of coastal urbanism to climate change.