Hurricane Katrina

Katrina 'Ten Years After': and the Band Plays On

The 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is upon us. Many of us city planners invested whatever skills we thought we had, plus a heavy dose of passionate naivete, to recovery planning in the wake of the 2005 storm.

August 7, 2015 - PlaceShakers

New Orleans Aerial

New Orleans Public Housing in Decade-Long Stall

In the aftermath of Katrina, President Obama's Choice Neighborhoods initiative promised thousands of new affordable units. But so far the Housing Authority of New Orleans hasn't proved up to the task.

July 6, 2015 - Next City

The Conservative Method of Resilience Planning

Explaining how planning and building for resilience reconciles with Conservative politics.

April 20, 2015 - City Journal

New Orleans street

New Orleans Public Markets Make a Comeback

Plagued by supermarket chains and natural disasters, the public markets of New Orleans could help revive community identity. Here are some of the ways they're getting back in business.

March 27, 2015 - Next City

New Orleans Transit Service Not Keeping Pace with Recovery

A pair of articles in the Times-Picayune, along with a new study from advocacy group Ride New Orleans, finds the transit system in New Orleans doing less with more.

July 17, 2014 - The Times-Picayune

Cyclone the Size of Katrina Strikes India

Bearing 125 mph winds, Cyclone Phailin made landfall along India's eastern coast on Saturday evening. Though hundreds of thousands were evacuated from the area, some are questioning whether the Indian authorities took the storm too lightly.

October 12, 2013 - The New York Times

Have Planners Made the Gulf Coast Better Since Katrina?

In the eight years since Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast states have made great strides in adopting new visions for their cities and towns. A new report outlines the recovery's progress, pointing to successes in housing and transportation.

September 3, 2013 - The Sun Herald

Brad Pitt Struggles to Make It Right in New Orleans

Brad Pitt's Make It Right foundation has built 90 cutting-edge homes in New Orleans' largely abandoned Lower Ninth Ward. Stores and services have stayed away, however, prompting many to wonder if the area will ever become a livable community again.

March 13, 2013 - The New Republic

Enjoy the Images of the Superdome, Because You Helped Pay For It

Mark Byrnes explains the recent renovations - both inside and outside - of New Orleans' Superdome, home to Sunday's Super Bowl. The work was funded, at least in part, by FEMA.

February 2, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Katrina and Sandy: Devastating Storms, But That's Where the Similarities End

Roberta Brandes Gratz examines the many differences, and few similarities, between the two most devastating urban storms of recent memory. Among the most elemental differences: one devastated neighborhoods, one a city; one was man-made, one natural.

January 25, 2013 - Citiwire

What Can Sandy Learn from Katrina about Housing?

As the Sandy clean-up gets underway, could this be an opportunity for the Eastern Seaboard to apply some of the rebuilding lessons learned along the Gulf Coast after Katrina? Ben Brown shares some pointers.

November 6, 2012 - PlaceShakers

New Orleans Reborn: Development Returns to the Big Easy

New Orleans is shaking its distressed-city status as an influx of investment heads to town. National retailers and developers, many of them first-time investors in the city, are looking to set up shop.

September 28, 2012 - The New York Times

Building Community to Build Resilience

As Hurricane Isaac lashes the Gulf Coast, Daniel P. Aldrich argues that the "density and strength of social networks are the most important variables" in determining how communities respond to natural disasters.

August 29, 2012 - The New York Times

New Orleans Prepares for Biggest Test Since Katrina

Seven years after Katrina made mincemeat of the city's flood protections, Hurricane Isaac is bearing down on the Crescent City. Ingrid Norton looks at what's different this time around.

August 28, 2012 - Next American City

Restarting New Orleans With Startups

In town for New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, Zak Stone reports on New Orleans' attempts to repopulate the city with the creative class.

June 16, 2012 - Good

When Does It Make Sense for a City to Downsize?

Roberta Brandes Gratz examines New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward to make the case that even neighborhoods past their prime are worth fighting for.

April 7, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Post-Katrina, New Orleans Rebuilds With Cyclists in Mind

Before Katrina, New Orleans was unfriendly and unpopular for cyclists. Today, the city has 15 streets with bike lanes totaling 40 miles of bike pathway, and is gunning to be as bike-friendly as Portland or Seattle.

October 13, 2011 - Associated Press

Cottages = Small Scale Infill & Affordability

They've been tough to build, thanks to a market skewed towards suburban-style houses via tax, infrastructure, mortgage, and land value subsidies, says Ben Brown. But six years after the storm, Katrina Cottages offer some hard-won solutions.

August 6, 2011 - PlaceShakers

Discrimination Case Over Katrina Housing Settled

A discrimination lawsuit filed against the federal government and the state of Louisiana was settled this week in favor of homeowners who claimed that the way funds were distributed was biased against the poor.

July 7, 2011 - The New York Times

Slow Progress in East New Orleans

In this piece from Places, Deborah Gans offers a firsthand look at planning for recovery in the city's neglected East side.

June 28, 2011 - Places

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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