Green Infrastructure and the Sustainability Concept: A Case Study of the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan

iii For my family, Kevin, Dundee and Duke iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank the professors and students in the Master's in Urban and Regional Planning program at the University of New Orleans. Thank you for two great years and for your support and friendship as I went through this program. Thanks specifically to Anna Brand, my advisor on this thesis, for meeting with me and inspiring me as I tried to finish this project, while also being a great mentor as I thought about future plans. You helped me to further define my interests and pushed me to explore new ideas and think critically as I worked through this project. Thanks to Marla Nelson for working with me, giving me a chance to do research, and for always being there to help and listen. I am inspired by your teaching, and it has been great getting to do research with you. Thanks also to Jane Brooks, David Gladstone, and the many others who have advised me and worked with me during my time at UNO. I would also like to thank Jeff Schwartz for giving me my first chance to work in the world of planning on Broad Street. I learned so much from working with you and seeing you do what you do. Thank you to everyone I met through my work with this amazing organization; you helped me fall in love with the city and all the great things going on here. My work with you and BCC will be my foundation in planning for years to come. Thanks also to the folks at BKI-Paul Waidhas, Ed Elam, and Carl Seifert—for giving me a multitude of new opportunities and planning experience during my time spent with you in the past year. Finally, I want to thank my family for supporting me in my education and for making the trek to visit me in New Orleans many times. I could never have made it through without all the trips, phone calls home, and all your support. Another special thanks to Casey Chaviano for all her expertise and support on this project. Thanks to Daria and Graham for being my second New Orleans home, and thanks to Kevin, Dundee, and Duke for being here for me always and being my inspiration.