Rooted in Treme: Healing, History, and Hope Under the I-10 - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

Recorded On: 10/12/2025

One of the most controversial problems in New Orleans is the future of the I-10 bridge. Exploring the future of the life under the bridge is just as critical. The panel will explore how historical, economic, and cultural influences work together to claim and control public land and to navigate governmental constraints.

Learning objectives:

Learn about North Claiborne Avenue’s neutral ground’s history as both the longest strand of live oaks in America and an anchor for economic and cultural African American life in Faubourg Treme.
Learn innovative planning & design strategies from the CCID project for neighborhoods and adjacent communities wanting to claim and control public land under urban freeway bridges.
Increase your understanding of how to successfully navigate governmental constraints for designing and constructing projects on sites owned and operated by multilayered local, state, and/or federal oversight authorities.
Understand a set of cultural- and environmental-positive principles tied to the use of public land under the I-10 bridge, as the fate of the bridge is determined.

Melissa Lemuz, Assoc. ASLA

Landscape Designer

DesignJones LLC

Melissa earned her BS in University Studies - Architecture from Texas A&M University in 2017 and her Master in Landscape Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2021. Her past learning experiences influenced her thesis research in phytoremediation. Since joining DesignJones in 2023, Melissa has worked on a variety of projects which have focused on stormwater management, scientific & historic education, shared community spaces, and preservation. She has gotten the opportunity to be part of many of DesignJones’ New Orleans projects, such as the Claiborne Cultural Innovation District.

Whawn Allen, AIA

Principal Architect

Whawn Allen Architects and Construction Consultants (WAACC)

Whawn founded Whawn Allen Architects and Construction Consultants (WAACC), a design and project management company in 2017. She is a registered architect and certified construction manager who enjoys solving challenging problems, playing tennis and experiencing new cultures. Her appreciation for community inspired her to established WAACC, a company focused on rebuilding communities in historically suppressed neighborhoods. She has served as guest lecturer for the University of New Orleans Community Development Finance Course and is a graduate of Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses Cohort 30. She has served as guest lecturer for the University of New Orleans Community Development Finance Course.

Nyree Ramsey

Executive Director

Cultural Innovation District (CID)

New York native Nyree A. Ramsey is the Executive Director of Ujamaa Economic Development Corporation. Ramsey holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Ramsey’s passion for servant leadership led her to Tremé in New Orleans, serving as the City of New Orleans as Deputy Director of Community Affairs & Special Events; then promoted to Director of Arts and Tourism in the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. As the city’s first Black Director of Arts & Tourism, her work centers promoting, protecting, and perpetuating the unique aesthetic of an American treasure, New Orleans’ art & culture.