Gordon Plaza: Residents Fight for Fair and Just Relocation

In 1981, the City of New Orleans oversaw the construction of Gordon Plaza, an affordable housing development, on the former site of a major landfill. Almost since its construction, Gordon Plaza residents have raised concerns over contaminated soil and have sought a fully funded relocation to safer ground. This tour details negligent landfill operations, the construction of affordable housing targeted at low-income home buyers, and the on-going health complications residents endure as they fight for fair and just relocation.

In 2019, UNO partnered with Climates of Inequality, a participatory public memory project created by students, educators, and community leaders that focuses on telling the histories of “frontline” communities: “those who have contributed the least to the climate crisis but bear its heaviest burdens.”  UNO students produced a video on the history of Gordon Plaza as well as conducted an oral history interview with Gordon Plaza resident Shannon Rainey.

In 2024-2025, the City of New Orleans completed a voluntary buyout of residential properties. But for some former residents the fight is still not over. A federal lawsuit, filed in May of 2026 alleges that the city is prioritizing other payments over millions owed in a class-action lawsuit for compensation for emotional distress and property damage.

As of 2025, the houses and buildings of Gordon Plaza no longer exist. They were torn down to make way for a a solar farm.

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