Once dotted with derelict office buildings and parking lots, the South Market District - a formally abandoned corner of Downtown New Orleans - is being revived with new multi-story towers offering a mix of residential and commercial space.

A powerful combination of lucrative historic tax credits and a growing demand for housing closer to the city center has spurred residential projects across New Orleans.

New Orleans has undergone major changes in recent years, and one major addition is a brand new neighborhood.

The free-flowing cold brew — conveniently situated next to beer taps housing two different selections from Urban South Brewery — is just one of many details indicating that The Shop at the CAC is not like most office spaces. The 40,000-square-foot co-working space at 900 Camp St., was completed in September and has quickly generated buzz around town for its cool digs, community and cultural partnerships and swanky design.

In 2004, less than two years before Katrina, Matt Schwartz and Chris Papamichael formed The Domain Companies in New York City. They began developing affordable, mixed-use projects in the area with a sharp focus on creating long-term community impact and growing a skilled team.

KTGY Architecture + Planning unveiled today the preliminary design for a new mixed-use development that was selected as part of Salt Lake City’s plan to revitalize its downtown core developed by The Domain Companies, one of the nation’s leading real estate investment and development firms specializing in sustainable mixed-use development, and the GIV Group, which combines a non-profit and entrepreneurial approach to community development.

In 1980, Morris Adjmi enrolled in the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York specifically to take a course with Aldo Rossi, the Italian architect known for creating complex buildings out of simple shapes. Within months, Rossi asked the New Orleans–born Adjmi to help him with a competition entry.

Giv Group and Domain Companies will transform a two-acre parcel into The Exchange, a nine-story development that will include market-rate, affordable and micro units, as well as office and retail space.

A two acre parcel of prime downtown real estate will become a new trend in affordable housing.

Poke Loa soon will open a third location in New Orleans. The original location -- the first all-poke restaurant in New Orleans -- opened on Magazine Street in February.