A city cannot exist without its geographic context. This is an irrefutable statement; a city is a singular place, founded upon its location relative to organic and constructed resources. New Orleans is no exception to this rule, yet the chasm between the modern city and its geographic framework has consistently proved to be detrimental to its progress. The ecological conditions that exist are unique to the region yet are often in direct opposition with the trajectory of urban development. This dichotomy can be catastrophic when faced with a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated neighborhoods across the greater New Orleans area, the Lower Ninth Ward in particular. Due to its low elevation and close proximity to the vulnerable Industrial Canal, the storm surge completely inundated the neighborhood and left its recovery up to outside sources. Ironically, a natural historic buffer exists adjacent to this neighborhood: the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle. Years of sediment diversion and salt water filtration have left the formerly fresh water swamp a brackish marsh, weakening its role in the surrounding ecosystem and diminishing its capacity to protect the Lower Ninth Ward. Focusing on the parallel relationship between the degradation of Bayou Bienvenue and the slow road to recovery of the Lower Ninth Ward, this thesis aims to explore the historical implications of this connection, while proposing that the future of both these integral pieces of New Orleans can only be achieved through a relationship of reciprocity. By linking the process of wetland reforestation with a dynamic, intrinsic approach to community involvement, a platform emerges that allows for both to not only stabilize but thrive. / 0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu