Proposed heritage garden in Lower Algiers aims to reduce flooding and honor Vietnamese culture
Lower Algiers is home to a growing Vietnamese community that formed in the 1970s after refugees from the Vietnam War resettled in the region.
WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. TIME NOW IS 1243 ON YOUR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. AND LET’S GET YOU OUT THE DOOR RIGHT NOW. MAYBE OUT OF THE OFFICE TO ANY LUNCH PLANS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. THE WEATHER IS DEFINITELY COOPERATING FOR US ON OUR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. BUT LET’S GET YOUR OFFICIAL WDSU FIRST WARNING WEATHER FORECAST. YOU KNOW, I LOVE WORKING AT WDSU AS MUCH AS ANYBODY. YOU KNOW THAT. BUT IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE ONE OF THOSE JOBS WHERE YOU COULD TAKE LIKE AN EXTENDED LONG LUNCH AND KIND OF GO OUTSIDE FOR A LITTLE BIT. ESPECIALLY WITH WEATHER LIKE THIS, THIS IS THE TIME TO BE OUTSIDE ENJOYING. IT’S A LITTLE WARMER THAN YESTERDAY, BUT IT’S STILL VERY, VERY, VERY PLEASANT. WE’LL SEE SOME FAIR WEATHER CLOUDS TODAY, BUT AS FAR AS RAIN MAKING CLOUDS, I JUST DON’T SEE THEM ANYTIME OVER THE NEXT SIX SEVEN DAYS, MAYBE A FEW SHOWERS AS WE GET INTO NEXT WEEK. AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE THIS TIME OF YEAR, WE CAN ALWAYS USE THE RAIN. TOMORROW MORNING, I THINK WE’RE GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT FOGGY. WINDS ARE GOING TO BE LIGHT. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE DEAD CALM. BUT THIS COMPUTER MODEL GIVES US AN IDEA WHERE IT COULD BE THE FOGGIEST. AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE THE RIVER PARISHES, BAYOU PARISHES. ACCORDING TO THIS MODEL. I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF MAYBE WE HAD A DENSE FOG ADVISORY ISSUED SOMETIME LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS EVENING. RIVER PARISHES, BAYOU PARISHES, MAYBE CLOSE TO THE COAST TOMORROW MORNING. JUST GIVE YOURSELF A COUPLE EXTRA MINUTES. JUST TURN ON WDSU WHEN IT’S FOGGY, WE ALWAYS SHOW YOU WHERE IT’S THE FOGGIEST. WE’RE IN THE MID 70S RIGHT NOW, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BATON ROUGE. LOOK AT THAT 80 THERE AND IT IS A LITTLE BIT COOLER IF YOU’RE CLOSER TO THE WATER 71 RIGHT NOW. BEAUTIFUL GRAND ISLE. OUR DEW POINT TEMPERATURE IS ACTUALLY 58 RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS JUST ABOUT WHERE IT WAS YESTERDAY. IT WAS UP IN THE LOW 60S, ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO OR SO. OUR WINDS ARE SHIFTING, BECOMING A LITTLE MORE SOUTHEASTERLY, BRINGING IN A TOUCH MORE MOISTURE. YESTERDAY WE HAD SOME MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS IN THE AFTERNOON. THOSE CLOUDS HAVE EXITED AND WE HAVE THIS VERY, VERY, VERY WEAK FRONT THAT’S ON TOP OF US RIGHT NOW. IT’S ACTUALLY KIND OF MOVING TO THE NORTH AS A WARM FRONT. SO OUR DEW POINT TEMPERATURE ARE HUMIDITY TODAY JUST A TOUCH HIGHER THAN YESTERDAY. BUT HERE’S DRIER AIR THAT’S MOVED INTO THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THAT’S WHAT YOU SEE IN THE DARKNESS HERE. I THINK THE AIR IS GOING TO BE RELATIVELY DRY AT THE UPPER LEVELS AGAIN TOMORROW. SO A GOOD AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE EXPECTED. HERE’S THAT FRONT. I HAVE IT AS A WARM FRONT ON THE FORECAST WEATHER MAP. AS WE LOOK AHEAD OVER THE NEXT THREE FOUR HOURS, JUST KIND OF DISSIPATING. YOUR HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY SHOULD BE IN THE LOW 80S IN MOST LOCATIONS. EVENING CONSTITUTIONAL WALK AROUND THE BLOCK AFTER DINNER. MIGHT WANT TO PLAN IT RIGHT NOW. CLOSE TO 70 ON THE NORTH SHORE. LOW 70S. EXPECTED. IF YOU’RE A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE WATER NOW, FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING, THIS MODEL IS PICKING UP ON AN ATMOSPHERE THAT’S KIND OF SATURATED. IT IS GOING TO BE A TOUCH FOGGY IN SOME SPOTS. MORNING TEMPERATURE IN THE LOW TO MID 60S. AND TOMORROW AFTERNOON YOU SEE 1 OR 2 LITTLE SHOWERS. AND I CAN’T RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A SPRINKLE HERE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. BUT MEASURABLE RAIN JUST NOT HAPPENING. AND THE CHANCE FOR RAIN OFFICIALLY LESS THAN 10%. HIGH TEMPERATURE AGAIN. THURSDAY SHOULD BE IN THE LOW 80S. NOW HERE COMES SOME CHANGES FOR US. FRIDAY MORNING MAY ALSO BE A LITTLE BIT FOGGY, BUT THEN BY LATE IN THE DAY FRIDAY WE’RE GOING TO BE TRACKING A COLD FRONT. AHEAD OF THAT FRONT, WE GET WARM MID 80S FRIDAY AFTERNOON. BUT HERE COMES THAT FRONT MOVING THROUGH LATE FRIDAY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING, BRINGING THOSE MORNING TEMPERATURES DOWN INTO THE 50S. FIRST THING ON SATURDAY. THEN AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER FOR THE ITALIAN AMERICAN SAINT JOSEPH PARADE RIGHT THROUGH THE FRENCH QUARTER SHOULD BE 71 DEGREES WHEN THEY STEP OFF TEMPERATURES FALLING THROUGH THE 60S. AND IT WILL BE A LITTLE BIT BREEZY AS WELL AS THAT LOWER HUMIDITY BEING IN PLACE. MOSTLY SUNNY, A LITTLE BIT WARMER, A LITTLE BIT MORE HUMID FOR US TONIGHT OR THIS AFTERNOON, I SHOULD SAY. DEFINITELY HUMID TONIGHT. A LITTLE BIT MUGGY FIRST THING IN THE MORNING WITH A LITTLE BIT OF FOG POSSIBLE. THE TEMPERATURES DON’T REALLY CHANGE THAT MUCH UNTIL FRIDAY. THEN WE’RE IN THE MID 80S FOR THE AFTERNOON. HIGH COOLER, LESS HUMID, BREEZY, VERY COMFORTABLE FOR THE WEEKEND. TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. YES, MAYBE A FEW SHOWERS. A DISTURBANCE IN THE GULF COULD BRING US SOME SPOTTY SHOWERS, BUT NOT A LOT AS FAR AS ME
Proposed heritage garden in Lower Algiers aims to reduce flooding and honor Vietnamese culture
Lower Algiers is home to a growing Vietnamese community that formed in the 1970s after refugees from the Vietnam War resettled in the region.
Updated: 3:28 PM CDT Mar 25, 2026
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The former Southwood Homes development in Lower Algiers has sat vacant since 2010, when the site was cleared after the buildings were demolished. Now, community leaders and the City of New Orleans are working to transform the land into the Hung Dao Heritage Garden.Lower Algiers is home to a growing Vietnamese community that formed in the 1970s after refugees from the Vietnam War resettled in the region. The neighborhood now includes about 350 families. Community members hope the new garden will protect their cultural traditions and pass them on to future generations.The Hung Dao Heritage Garden will combine green infrastructure with cultural placemaking. The project will include a community space, a neighborhood park, and a heritage farm. These features are designed to help reduce flooding on the vacant lots and improve the surrounding environment. The garden will also honor Vietnamese history through food, plants, and traditions from regions across Vietnam.The city received a $1.4 million Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant to study the site and design stormwater improvements for the project. The city will also contribute about $400,000 to the effort.The project team will study where stormwater measures can be installed and what types will work best to reduce flooding near the planned park. A Community Priorities Report will outline which green infrastructure ideas should move forward. The project will also recommend upgrades to traditional drainage systems.Wingate Engineers will prepare a hydrologic and hydraulic study, construction documents, and a budget for the proposed park. These steps will help the city apply for future funding from state and federal grants or from the City Council.
NEW ORLEANS —
The former Southwood Homes development in Lower Algiers has sat vacant since 2010, when the site was cleared after the buildings were demolished. Now, community leaders and the City of New Orleans are working to transform the land into the Hung Dao Heritage Garden.
Lower Algiers is home to a growing Vietnamese community that formed in the 1970s after refugees from the Vietnam War resettled in the region. The neighborhood now includes about 350 families. Community members hope the new garden will protect their cultural traditions and pass them on to future generations.
The Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design- 2014
2014 Rendering of the proposed garden
The Hung Dao Heritage Garden will combine green infrastructure with cultural placemaking. The project will include a community space, a neighborhood park, and a heritage farm. These features are designed to help reduce flooding on the vacant lots and improve the surrounding environment. The garden will also honor Vietnamese history through food, plants, and traditions from regions across Vietnam.
The city received a $1.4 million Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant to study the site and design stormwater improvements for the project. The city will also contribute about $400,000 to the effort.
The project team will study where stormwater measures can be installed and what types will work best to reduce flooding near the planned park. A Community Priorities Report will outline which green infrastructure ideas should move forward. The project will also recommend upgrades to traditional drainage systems.
Wingate Engineers will prepare a hydrologic and hydraulic study, construction documents, and a budget for the proposed park. These steps will help the city apply for future funding from state and federal grants or from the City Council.
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