Bring New Orleans Back Commission to Work With Urban Land Institute on Developing Rebuilding Strateg

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. October 14, 2008

NEW ORLEANS, LA, October 13, 2005. The newly created Bring New Orleans Back Commission, led by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, has approved a proposal by the Urban Land Institute to support the commission's goal to develop a rebuilding vision during the first three months of the entity's tenure.

"Now is the time to create an implementable vision for the new New Orleans," said ULI Chairman Marilyn J. Taylor. "ULI will bring its expertise in land use policy, sustainability and development to support the knowledge of the commission, local ULI members, community leaders, and citizens in creating a vision for rebuilding this great American city. New Orleans deserves to be redesigned and rebuilt with equity and sustainability."

ULI, an international research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use, will assist the commission with its master visioning efforts. The program of work will be carried out through four key activities:

1) the formation of an advisory panel of international and national experts on post-disaster redevelopment and urban regeneration;

2) the development of Ten Principles for Temporary Communities;

3) input from the breadth of ULI's membership; and

4) coordination with other groups who have dedicated valuable resources to the rebuilding effort.

The activities are designed to facilitate immediate action; create a process to ensure that actions are proactive, rather than reactive; capitalize on the knowledge gained from the recovery experiences of other communities affected by natural or manmade disasters; and provide a practical guide on creating a successful rebuilding strategy.

ULI Louisiana Chairman Tara Carter Hernandez and members throughout the state will be engaged in ULI's program of work. Former ULI Chairman Joseph Canizaro, a business and civic community leader in New Orleans, serves on the city's commission.

The cost for creating and implementing ULI's program of work for rebuilding New Orleans is being completely covered by funds raised by the ULI Foundation, which supports Institute activities. Through the Foundation, ULI is raising $1 million to aid in rebuilding the Gulf Coast region, including providing assistance in planning the redevelopment of New Orleans. This fund was initiated with the stipend from the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development program. Albert B. Ratner, 2005 laureate of the prize and co-chairman of Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, Inc., declined the prize's $100,000 stipend and requested that ULI apply the funds to create a program of work to help plan a revitalization strategy for New Orleans. In addition, the Ratner family and Forest City made a donation of $100,000 to support ULI's work in New Orleans.

The advisory panel, which is scheduled to visit New Orleans during mid- November, will include ULI members and other land use professionals with experience in urban and post-disaster redevelopment, including the areas of planning, design, economic development and finance, all of whom will work with local government representatives, and civic, business and citizens' organizations to establish a rebuilding strategy.

To support the advisory panel, ULI is organizing research teams to gather data and information (both pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina) regarding demographics, housing, commercial development, retail, tourism, land use and infrastructure, educational and medical institutions, environmental resources and economic development. This information will be reviewed by expert teams of ULI members, who will use it to guide the panel's work, with a specific focus on the areas of market and economic development, land planning and urban design, and institutional organization and implementation of the rebuilding plan. The expert teams and advisory panel members will meet at ULI's Fall Meeting in early November to discuss the research and develop key areas for the panel to address during the New Orleans visit. In addition, the Institute will gather input on rebuilding New Orleans from the 6,000-plus ULI members attending the Fall Meeting during various roundtable discussions.

The panel's initial recommendations will be made to the commission and the public in late November. A detailed report will be issued afterward, and panel members and ULI staff representatives will also be available, as needed, to assist with the planning process.

The panel is being organized through ULI's advisory services program, in which the Institute assembles experts in the fields of real estate and land use planning to participate as volunteers on panels worldwide, offering recommendations for complex planning and development projects, programs and policies. ULI has organized advisory panels in several other areas of the U.S. that have experienced both natural and manmade disasters, including the earthquakes in Watsonville, California; floods in Grand Forks, North Dakota; the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City; the riots in south central Los Angeles; and the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

In addition to the advisory panel, ULI is working with its members to develop the Ten Principles for Temporary Communities to help New Orleans and other communities faced with the dilemma of creating temporary homes for its displaced residents. These principles will be based on experiences of other communities that have dealt with natural disasters and other events that have necessitated the creation of temporary housing.

All of the Institute's work on rebuilding New Orleans will be conducted in coordination with the work of other organizations, noted ULI President Richard M. Rosan. "Many of these groups work closely with ULI on other efforts, and we will ensure that our work and theirs is coordinated and complementary. The key to ULI's effectiveness is its inclusive process, which results in constructive participation."

The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. Each year, the Institute honors an extraordinary community builder through the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 26,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.