By Richard A. Webster

The Piazza d'Italia sits in the midst of a burgeoning downtown New Orleans real estate market that is experiencing rapid growth and development from the Mississippi River to South Claiborne Avenue.

But the 37-year old architectural landmark sometimes seems a world apart, lost amid large swaths of surface parking that surround it on nearly every side. To better take advantage of the public space, the city Tuesday (May 12) issued a request for qualifications, asking for ideas to redevelop the two parking lots at 542 Tchoupitoulas St. and 545 S. Peters St.

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Source: http://www.nola.com/