New Orleans can give thanks this Thanksgiving to the Urban Land Institute's speedy compilation of recommendations for the city's rebirth -- provided the city acts quickly to institute them.
It's been little more than a month since the Urban Land Institute arrived in New Orleans at the behest of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his "Bring New Orleans Back" commission and the institute has already presented phased rebuilding recommendations to the commission.
The recommendations call for a process that initially meets the immediate needs of the city's shrunken population, but is also designed to prepare the city for its future recovery, restoration, reform and rebirth.
In a public forum Nov. 18, an ULI panel presented its list of recommendations suggesting a financial oversight board as the first order of business to ensure fairness in terms of what rebuilding efforts obtain federal funding.
ULI, which has provided advisory panels for 400 rebuilding or redevelopment efforts since 1936, also recommended a redevelopment agency unlike any other.
With a special focus on housing, the ULI panelists said there is an especially pressing need for the immediate production of workforce housing which is directly connected to the economic recovery and growth of any city.
It also suggests not concentrating the housing like a work camp in one part of the city, but to integrate it throughout the city making the homes indistinguishable from other properties. The homes should be connected to neighborhood amenities and services.
"In contrast to the past practice of isolating, concentrating and stigmatizing poor and modest income families in public housing or other rent-subsidized enclaves, New Orleans neighborhoods must be more inclusive," said panelist Tony Salazar, president of the west coast division of McCormack Baron Salazar in Los Angeles.
ULI panelists also said New Orleans' property owners and renters are entitled to compensation and redevelopment opportunities that give them an opportunity to rebuild at the original site of their property or to relocate to developable areas.
For urgent housing action the panel recommended:
* A full assessment of the existing housing stock.
* Quick activation of the Crescent City Rebuilding Corporation.
* Quickly built temporary housing.
* Repopulation of suitable public housing.
* Design guidelines and technical assistance for property owners.
* An extension of mortgage forbearance periods.
* Special financial support for existing home owners to help enable their return.
Some 39 percent of New Orleans residents surveyed after Hurricane Katrina said they either definitely or probably won't return home, according to a USA Today/CNN Gallup Poll of adults who registered with the American Red Cross for assistance.
Among those polled, 57 percent owned property and 39 percent rented. Thirty-two percent of those polled said their house was either destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.
In addition to a financial oversight board and a rebuilding corporation to help provide housing, ULI also recommended the rebuilding effort include many considerations perhaps overlooked before the hurricane, including:
* The recognition that every citizen has a right to return to a safe city, with enhanced levees and ecosystem restoration playing a key role in ensuring future safety.
* The adoption of clear criteria for neighborhood restoration and development, with an emphasis on the inclusion of residents in the planning and restoration.
* The acceptance that diversity, equity and cooperation as keys to rebuilding.
* The need for diverse economic development that results in the creation of a broader range of jobs providing a broader salary range. The panel also endorsed a requirement for a livable wage.
* The recognition of the influence of the faith-based community in maintaining the recovery's momentum.
* The need for tax reform and incentives to build up the city's tax base and encourage private investment.
* The need for a regional approach on such critical issues as levees, transportation systems, emergency response and economic development.
The recommendations also came with an acknowledgement that the Crescent City already has a "remarkable urban pattern" as a foundation for future building to reflect strong neighborhoods, historical architecture, retail, workplaces and other structures.
ULI said all rebuilding efforts should be faithful to New Orleans' rich culture, history, and "old urbanist" and "home grown" neighborhood design.
Recommendations also addressed infrastructure, especially flood protection, sustainable rebuilding principles, the inclusion of city residents in the rebuilding effort whenever possible and transportation issues, among others.
"New Orleans is a national and international treasure. The culture of the city must be retained and enhanced, including historic preservation, music, art, food, faith, architecture and the strong sense of community," said panel chairman Smedes York, president of York Properties, Inc., in Raleigh, N.C.
The panel also recommended that the city pick up the beat on its efforts to rebuild.
York said thus far efforts have been "commendable," but the rebuilding effort "needs to be more extensive and move rapidly."
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