Last week, Downtown Development District Summer interns Makhi and Royal capped off their internship experience with a final presentation to DDD staff.
Makhi and Royal joined our Downtown team through YouthForce NOLA, a program dedicated to preparing New Orleans public school students for success after high school by connecting them with meaningful, real-world work experiences.
Over the course of the Summer, Makhi and Royal conducted a comprehensive streetscape analysis of key Downtown corridors, assessing the condition and accessibility of sidewalks, lighting, signage, and other public infrastructure. They also reviewed vacancy of ground-level retail spaces and buildings in need of repair. Their findings will help guide future DDD planning efforts and identify areas where additional attention or investment may be needed to improve the pedestrian experience.
Their final presentation highlighted not only their research, but also the skills they gained throughout the Summer and their reflections on working in a professional environment.
Our organization is proud to have hosted such thoughtful and driven interns and is excited to see what is in store for them next.
Thank you, Makhi and Royal, for the hard work, and thank you to YouthForce NOLA for helping make this partnership possible.