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?
Is 'Hacking' a Planning Commission a Good Idea?
Does giving short shrift to grassroots tradition cut against the dynamics of community-based decision-making?
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.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
One of nation’s poorest counties to receive $6 billion data center
The developers estimate the project will create 200 permanent jobs and 1,000 temporary construction jobs.
MTA expects Trump’s tariffs to increase new NYC transit costs by $1 billion
The Metropolitan Transit Authority said the cost of new subway cars has risen by 30% since Trump began his second term as president.
Alaska takes public comment on new long-term plan for roads, bridges and more
Alaska's draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program includes over $1 billion for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
