Thanks to Planetizen for asking me to participate in “Planetizen Interchange” with such a distinguished group. This is my first entry so to let you know a bit about me, I live in New Orleans, LA. I was displaced for 10 months to Houston, TX after Katrina destroyed my house, but I am back in New Orleans where I am a planning, zoning and land use consultant.
Thanks to Planetizen for asking me to participate in "Planetizen Interchange" with such a distinguished group. This is my first entry so to let you know a bit about me, I live in New Orleans, LA. I was displaced for 10 months to Houston, TX after Katrina destroyed my house, but I am back in New Orleans where I am a planning, zoning and land use consultant. I am also Chairman of the New Orleans City Planning Commission. To say the least, this is an interesting time to be a planner in New Orleans.
The big planning issue, maybe the only planning issue, in metro New Orleans these days is recovery after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. After 18 months, much of the City is still devastated – devastation that pictures and television news stories can't begin to accurately portray. By most estimates, less than half of the City's pre-Katrina population has returned. The recovery planning process has been extremely long and is a multi-headed beast. A "Citywide" or "Unified" plan, sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation and others, is before the City Planning Commission for public hearings and a recommendation to the Council. That plan was to put together the goals, recommendations and recovery projects of several other processes and studies into one "unified" plan. A giant, maybe impossible, task. The plan has been criticized by some as fluff, praised by others because of the extraordinarily extensive public participation process.
There are many issues being debated here. Just to pick one for discussion, what is the balance between what the public wants and what professional planning analysis recommends, especially when the two are at odds? Is there a way to find a middle ground?
Adapting Building Codes to Natural Disasters Saves Billions
New research shows that modern building codes have prevented around $27 billion in damage from natural disasters between 2000 and 2016, yet many cities still operate under decades-old regulations.
The Compounding Dangers of the Virus and Natural Disasters
As Hurricane Laura intensified into a Category 4 storm, public officials had to make decisions about evacuation during a time of sheltering in place. Researchers at Texas A&M University developed a risk index to guide decisionmaking processes.
In Paradise, Using Greenbelts to Manage Wildfires
The Camp Fire in California devasted the town of Paradise. As rebuilding progresses, local leaders are looking to protect the town using nature-based fire resilience strategies.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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