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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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November
2006
Volume 11 -
Number 2 |
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Planning for a better future
By Gabriele Pascolini On Saturday, October 14th, the residents of New Orleans
finally had the opportunity to give their input and get familiar with the
13 planning districts and progress of the citywide plan that will serve as
a framework for the recovery of the city. This pivotal point for the “Unified
New Orleans Plan” is also marked by the pledge of 1 million dollars by the
Bush-Clinton fund, made only few weeks ago, that will help pay for the fees
of consultants involved in the project.
The “Unified New Orleans Plan”, hopefully, marks a total change in the way “things are done” in New Orleans. In the aftermath of Katrina, the major political and economical actors (city council, mayor’s office, State of Louisiana with the LRA and interest groups) took the planning effort into their hands but failed to provide a sustainable answer to the daunting task of recovery. They lacked a comprehensive plan and adequate funding but principally they represented a small portion of the stakeholders. At the beginning of 2006, FEMA officials made clear to the mayor’s office that they would not fund the planning effort. This decision, along with the strong reaction of the residents of different neighborhoods regarding the idea of rebuilding only the “high grounds” of the city, persuaded the LRA and The Greater New Orleans Foundation to try a new strategy of bringing on board the Rockefeller Foundation to coordinate the planning. That meeting shaped the project. The RF pledged 3.5 millions dollars and dispatched a Program Officer, Carry Shea, to oversee the administration of the program and as a resource for local stakeholders. The GNOF pledged one million dollars and created the Community Support Foundation, to which the grants where issued. In August 2006, all the parties (city council, major’s office, State of Louisiana with the LRA, TRF, GNOF) signed a memorandum of intents. This allowed the hiring of consultants to carry out the detailed work for the 13 districts plans and the overall citywide one (“Unified New Orleans Plan”). This new type of public/ private partnership sparked the interest of many stakeholders in the planning process. It has also brought increased civic dialogue and an idea of collective accountability that is vastly different from the discord and frustration that prevailed for many years regarding the way “business” was conducted in New Orleans. The process also brought criticism for delaying access to federal money. In some cases, the neighborhood plans will be completed months earlier than the overarching plan for the city. However, individual neighborhood plans cannot be used to secure federal grants passed through the LRA before the approval of the overall plan. After the round of meetings on Saturday, October 14th, another six planning exercises will be held focusing on district-level and block-by-block needs. On December 2nd, a "community congress", open to all residents, will tackle broader infrastructure issues and the overall plan. This final exercise will lead to a “recovery blueprint” that will be turned over to the City Planning Commission for approval by January 2007. America Speaks, a non-profit organization specialized in staging public forums, was hired to facilitate the meetings, and assure participation of displaced residents and full consideration of the “voices” of all the actors involved, especially issues brought up by low income African American residents, the bulk of the affected population. The path to full recovery is still long, but this new process will hopefully strengthen the idea that without the recognition of the interdependency of stakeholder interests, the sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans is more distant. Sources http://www.rockfound.org/NorthAmerica/Perspective http://unifiedneworleansplan.com/home2/ - Planning for a better future White Paper The Rockefeller Foundation September 2006 - N.O. planning sessions set for Saturday The Times-Picayune, October 12, 2006 By Coleman Warner - Recovery planning pact signed Tuesday, August 29, 2006 By Coleman Warner |