Port-au-Prince

After the earthquake, Haiti's recovery has not been in rebuilding the center city, but through decentralization and the development of farming. But even this plan, reports Randal Archibald, is fraught with challenges.

Michel Martelly is the newly elected president of Haiti. He faces the large challenge of rebuilding much of the country's population center, which was devastated by an earthquake in January 2010.

Port-au-Prince, the devastated capital of Haiti, is far from recovery. But as it and the rest of the country tries to rebound, some are thinking creatively about how best to rebuild the city's center.

The Marché en Fer, a 19th-century era food market and a favorite Haitian hangout, has reopened its doors to the delight of locals.

Frustration and anger are rampant in Port-au-Prince, where recovery from the earthquake that thrashed the city in January has been slow and, by some local accounts, corrupt.

Plans for rebuilding Haiti have a strikingly New Urbanist tinge. But some say Haiti's economic situation isn't ready for a New Urbanist approach.

With the country is full recovery mode, urban planners in Haiti are releasing a strategy document that seeks to redistribute the population of damaged Port-au-Prince and to create a series of smaller urban centers throughout the country.

Haiti's official seismologist predicted the earthquake, and says the capital is in a high-risk zone for future quakes. With funds coming in to rebuild, the decision is pressing.

More than a million Haitians have fled the capital city of Port-au-Prince, and government officials are advising them to stay out of the city. But many question if these provincial cities will be able to provide jobs and economic opportunities.

Every day since the earthquake that shattered Haiti earlier this month, a group of 50 planners, architects and developers have met to brainstorm and strategize the rebuilding of their country.

Haitians are moving back out into the countryside after the Capital city of Port-au-Prince suffered devastation from a series of earthquakes this month. Some argue the move back to the country may be a good thing for Haiti.

This episode of DnA wonders whether design and architecture will be able to help Haiti revive itself.