Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal Report Published

The report is titled After Katrina: Building Back Better than Ever. It is 190 pages in length, and it contains over 200 separate recommendations. It is the product of three months of intensive research and public discussions. The Commission called upon the talents of more than 500 volunteers who contributed more than 50,000 hours to the effort. Dozens of town hall meetings gave local citizens the opportunity to voice their views of what their region should become. Eleven committees addressed specific areas of concern from agriculture and forestry to defense contracting to the future of tourism.

The final report presents the committees’ assessment of hurricane damage and their recommendations for not only restoring what was lost but for doing it in a way that responds to the governor’s charge to build back “better than ever.” Among the committees’ recommendations are proposals for at least partially regionalizing transportation policy, some public services, and tourism development efforts. There are strong arguments for building and zoning codes that not only require safer structures and more storm-aware development patterns but that also encourage more pedestrian-friendly streets and a better mix of commercial, office, and residential uses in rebuilt neighborhoods.

The Finance Committee report includes suggested ways communities can tap into federal, state, and private funding sources to accomplish some of the report’s goals, and there’s an authoritative analysis of what leaders and citizens must think about to prepare for other major storms.