New Orleans didn't have much green space for a city of its size. Land has been at such a premium that there hasn't been much room for parks and recreation. After the storm this may change as large areas may be unsuitable for housing.

What has really been missing in the city is the "neighborhood park."  This is a small park (one to ten city blocks in size) with a few picnic benches, some trees and squirrels, a swing or two and a few open fields suitable for ball games. Micro parks like a single basketball court or a couple of tennis courts should also be scattered about.

The UNOP promotes certain "land swaps" called "Eyes on the Park." Homeowners in a partially repopulated area would voluntarily move to other lots leaving one or two city blocks totally empty but surrounded by fully repopulated blocks. The city would then clear the empty block creating a new urban park completely surrounded by interested homeowners.

New Orleans has seemed to concentrate on the mega park idea. City Park is one of the largest in the country, rivaling Central Park in New York. Four golf courses, thirty nine tennis courts, an art museum, a track stadium, lagoons with greek style statuary all seem to say bigger is better. Only a zoo is missing (Audubon Park has the zoo).

Big parks are great but it's quite an effort to get there for a quick game after school, so lots of kids end up playing on the street or going inside to play video games or watch TV. Lots of small parks with no house more than six blocks from a park would be great for the city.