Recent ASLA Activities and Key Efforts

+ ASLA and the National Building Museum convened a panel of landscape architects and planners to examine the role of coastal wetlands and natural storm management systems in a healthy ecosystem and discuss the vital need for restoration of the wetlands and other issues. Moderated by Joseph E. Brown, FASLA, president of EDAW, the program included Paul Rookwood, ASLA, AICP, managing principal of WRT, a planning and design firm working on the redevelopment of New Orleans; Kevin Shanley, ASLA, president of the SWA Group, who addressed the importance of wetlands in the recovery planning process, and James L. Sipes, ASLA, who is developing an interactive map to determine the vulnerabilities of the Gulf Coast's natural and cultural resources. Listen to an exclusive two-part podcast of the event by clicking the links below.

The Gulf Coast: Restoring the Landscape, part 1 of 2

The Gulf Coast: Restoring the Landscape, part 2 of 2

+ ASLA supports the comprehensive plan, drafted by Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, and recently presented by the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, which will create a safer, resilient, and more vibrant New Orleans. The plan calls for the complete restoration of the wetlands surrounding the city, providing a vital, natural land barrier against storm surge, and a comprehensive parks system putting open space in every neighborhood, creating greenways to connect neighborhoods, and reusing areas around canals and levees as open space. In addition, transportation corridors would be designed to better accommodate pedestrians and alternative modes of transportation. Read More.

+ ASLA members from across the country will help to staff open house sessions during Louisiana Recovery Planning Day on January 21. The day-long sessions will be held in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria, Monroe, Shreveport, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Atlanta and Memphis. The sessions are designed to provide displaced residents with information and to begin to solicit their input about the goals and vision that should guide recovery in their communities. ASLA continues to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) to support long-term community recovery efforts.

+ A group of 22 landscape architects, architects, planners, and scientists met at ASLA headquarters on December 19 to begin an independent effort to provide a regional environmental assessment of the Gulf Coast region. The group, organized by the Regional Plan Association and ASLA, hopes to produce a single GIS-generated environmental assessment map for the region in February, and release a second set of maps in June that will suggest policy options based on more detailed environmental assessments. Read more.

+ On December 19, Federal Government Affairs Manager Scott Kovarovics and Louisiana Trustee Chad Danos, ASLA, participated in a meeting in Baton Rouge with FEMA and the LRA. Read more.

+ ASLA members met via conference call on December 16 to begin pulling together policy recommendations for disaster preparedness and hazard mitigation. These policy recommendations will likely target specific issues such as wetland reconstruction, the creation of open spaces, and complete street proposals that will account for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

In the News

The articles below were pulled from national and international news sources, and chronicle the aftermath and rebuilding process of the Gulf Coast, beginning with the first days following Hurricane Katrina. We hope these articles will provide perspective and diverse voices as the rebuilding and redevelopment process continues.

We have also collected articles on the Gulf Coast reconstruction that have been published in   LAND Online. Click here to view these articles.

+ Rebuilding Proposal Gets Mixed Reception
Tempers flared as expected Wednesday with the unveiling of a bold plan to temporarily halt the issuance of building permits in flood-ravaged parts of New Orleans -- a four-month timeout proposed by Mayor Ray Nagin's rebuilding commission to allow for a planning process that would chart the future of those neighborhoods. (The Times Picayune , 01-12-06)

+ What is Going On in New Orleans?
Witold Rybczynski looks at how the reconstruction effort in New Orleans compares to other massive reconstruction efforts the world has taken on in the past, and finds little to be hopeful about. He notes that New Orleans differs from other efforts in that is an American City and will be shaped by demand rather than bureaucratic planning. He further notes that “demand” in New Orleans peaked in 1965, and the city now belongs squarely in the Rust Belt, not the Sun Belt. (Slate, 12-28-05)

+ Death of an American City
In an editorial, The Times questions the resolve of the federal government—and the American people—to rebuild New Orleans. The paper notes that any rebuilding efforts will be ultimately pointless unless the city is adequately protected against a Category 5 hurricane. (New York Times, 12-11-05)

+ Residents Fight Shift in Zoning For Gulf Coast
The Times examines the debate along the Mississippi Gulf Coast over whether to cede large swaths of land to nature, rebuild the area as it was, or spend more to build more resilient homes. (New York Times, 12-11-05)

+ Businesses Battle Back in Terrebonne Parish
Weekend Edition’s Liane Hansen travels to Terrebonne to find out how the area is getting back on its feet. Many local businesses are relying on imported labor from Mexico to fill jobs left vacant by evacuees who have not returned. (National Public Radio, 12-11-05)

+ Giving Up on New Orleans
In an op-ed, Mike Tidwell, author of Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast, says that rebuilding New Orleans is pointless unless the wetlands and coastal islands that surround it are also restored. He adds that the Bush Administration recently “turned its back” on a $14 billion plan to restore the wetlands, even though it had broad support from environmentalists and the fishing and oil and gas industries. (Los Angeles Times, 12-06-05)

+ The Post-disaster Disaster
Nancy Levinson continues her razor-sharp insight on the post-Katrina reconstruction and what she sees as the faulty premise of New Urbanist dominance. Noting that the group has already produced A Pattern Book for Gulf Coast Renewal, Levinson says that what the Gulf Coast needs now are not architectural design solutions but environmental and infrastructure solutions. (ArtsJournal, 12-05-05)

+ In the Rush to Rebuild, a House Divided
While the Gulf Coast lies in ruins, two camps of architects are dueling over the direction of post-Katrina reconstruction. (Los Angeles Times, 12-04-05)

+ On Their Own in Battered New Orleans
While billions of dollars in federal money have been pledged to rebuild the city, reconstruction in New Orleans has become a largely private affair, meaning residents must choose between spending on rebuilding, or simply moving on. (Los Angeles Times, 12-04-05)

Click here for additional articles dating back to late August, 2005.

News coverage from LAND Online:

+ Getting "Smart" on Gulf Coast Reconstruction
Expert panel gathers at New Partners for Smart Growth Conference to discuss the progress along the Gulf Coast. (2-06-06)

+ Design Workshop Partners with MSU on Rebuilding Charette
Five-day student charrette included students from a wide range of disciplines, among them landscape architecture, architecture, and civil engineering. (2-06-06)

+ ASLA Supports Rebuilding Plan Proposed by Bring New Orleans Back Commission
The plan, drafted by Wallace Robert & Todd, LLC, calls for a comprehensive parks system, reconstruction of decimated wetlands, and substantial transit reforms. (1-23-06)

+ ASLA Hosts Meeting to Map Environmentally Sensitive Areas Along Gulf Coast
Group led by EDAW, ESRI, government leaders, and academics hopes to present comprehensive maps by February and specific policy recommendations by June. (1-10-06)

+ EPA Administrator Johnson Reaches Out to State Legislators
On December 8, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson addressed the Fall Forum of the National Conference of State Legislatures to promote collaboration between the federal and state governments with the mission of protecting the environment and aiding recovery in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. (12-19-05)

+ WRT to Provide “Framework Plan” For New Orleans
The Bring New Orleans Back Commission approved the retention of Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, to prepare a framework plan to guide the detailed planning for the reconstruction of New Orleans. (11-21-05)

+ Design and Construction Interest Groups Gather on New Orleans
Speakers call for a comprehensive plan that provides safety, density, open space, sustainability, and wetland reconstruction. (11-21-05)

+ ASLA Continues to Address Hurricane Devastation in the Gulf
The Society and its members are working on several fronts to create positive change in the Gulf region. (11-07-05)

+ ASLA Sponsors Gulf Coast Rebuilding Series at the National Building Museum
The first program will focus on New Orleans and feature Suzanne Turner, FASLA, emerita professor of landscape architecture, Louisiana State University. (11-07-05)

+ Land Matters: Should New Orleans Be Rebuilt?
Landscape Architecture magazine editor, Bill Thompson, FASLA, looks at what will become of the new New Orleans. (11-07-05)

+ Hurry Up and Wait
ASLA hurricane relief efforts look to balance the urgency to “do something” with the desire to be a part of concrete, sustainable efforts that will have a positive impact. (11-07-05)

Click here for additional articles dating back to early September, 2005.