November 21, 2005

WRT to Provide “Framework Plan” For New Orleans
The firm has been contracted by the Bring New Orleans Back Commission to create a plan for the future of the city by the end of the year.

As first reported earlier this month in The Dirt, the Bring New Orleans Back Commission has approved the retention of Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, to prepare a framework plan to guide the detailed planning for the reconstruction of New Orleans, according to representatives at WRT. “We are up and running as of this week, trying to put together data and a process for engaging the community and the issues,” Paul Rookwood, ASLA, managing principal of the firm, said earlier this month. The commission, which was appointed by the city to guide thinking on the reconstruction effort, contacted WRT to draft the plan. The firm has performed a number of planning assignments for New Orleans.

Although it remains unclear exactly what authority the commission will have over the reconstruction of New Orleans or how much of WRT’s plan will ultimately be implemented, Rookwood said that it is a vital part of the process as the various levels of government continue to grapple with the reconstruction. “As local, state, and federal governments move forward, there needs to be an integration of thought,” Rookwood said. He added that all levels of government should be involved in the planning process, with, perhaps, the federal government looking at the reconstruction of the Gulf as a whole and with state and local governments making regional decisions. However, he stressed that integration between all levels of government is key.

A Broad Approach
The commission has asked WRT to turn the plan around in seven to eight weeks, according to Richard Bartholomew, FAIA, AICP, PP, who is responsible for drafting the plan. It will be a “very fast-paced and broad based” process. Rookwood added that, although the framework will be put together quickly, it will be comprehensive. “We are definitely looking at sustainability issues, green infrastructure, and social concerns,” he said. “The difficult issues are where to build and density.” He added that the firm will be looking at transit-oriented development and smart growth principles as it moves forward. Bartholomew said that there are potentially parts of New Orleans that would not be rebuilt and other parts that would be less developed.

“Everyone who wants to come back should be able to,” Rookwood said, “but it might not be where they were before.” He added that the rebuilding effort will also look to make New Orleans a “community of choice” to draw new residents to the city by offering a superior quality of life.

WRT will also recommend that the rebuilding of New Orleans not be scattershot, with individual projects dispersed across the city. Rather, the two said, redevelopment should be focused on where it makes sense to build. For example, if mass transit is going to be part of the rebuilding process, then development should be concentrated around those transit lines.

Local Input
Due to the tight time frame imposed by the commission and the fact that many New Orleans residents are still spread across the country, getting community input on the plan will be difficult, Rookwood and Bartholomew admitted. However, the firm has sent representatives to reconstruction meetings held by the American Institute of Architects, the Urban Lands Institute, ASLA, and the American Planning Association (See Design and Construction Interest Groups Gather on New Orleans). Representatives are also meeting with the commission and its subcommittees on a regular basis and are considering holding an open house for city residents at some point in the process. “We’re trying to get as much information as we can with the time frame we have,” Bartholomew said.

He added that the plan will have a vision statement and a statement of values and principles, both of which will be made available to the public. The firm is currently reviewing other vision statements from the various meetings, commissions, and charrettes that have taken place from around the region to find and incorporate any common themes generated by those efforts. Safety and sustainable neighborhood structures will be key components of the vision statement, Rookwood added.

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