Bringing New Urbanism To New Orleans

"Standing in the buff-colored sanctuary of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church here, Andres Duany, the high priest of the New Urbanist city-planning movement, laid down a challenge to the 375 people who jammed the pews to hear his vision for the city's sprawling Gentilly section.

'The question is whether you want to go back to Aug. 28,' he told the group, 'or into the 21st century.'

More than eight months after Katrina's Aug. 29 arrival flooded 80% of New Orleans, a process for answering that question is finally emerging for tens of thousands of residents who still must decide whether to rebuild their homes and what they want their neighborhoods to look like if they do."

[Editor's note: This article is available for free online for seven days after the publication date.]