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Louisiana Recovery and Rebuilding Conference to be Held in New Orleans, November 10-12
Collaborative effort to focus on post-hurricane recovery and planning
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For Immediate Release |
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Washington, D.C., October 24,
2005 — – A collaborative visioning conference for the long-range
rebuilding and recovery of Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita will be held in New Orleans, November 10-12th. The three-day
program is the beginning of the process that will bring local and
national design and planning professionals together with Louisiana
public officials, civic groups, and business organizations, to
develop a body of principles that will guide Louisiana's long-range
recovery efforts.
The Louisiana Recovery and Rebuilding Conference is being presented
by The American Institute of Architects (AIA), in collaboration
with the American Planning Association (APA) at the request of
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the new 24-member Louisiana
Recovery Authority. Providing specialized expertise, the conference
will be co-sponsored by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation and other organizations to be named later. The
Conference is being managed by the local, state, and national
offices of the AIA with assistance from additional local
partners.
To be opened with a keynote address by Blanco, the Conference is
one of the top action items that are part of the agenda of the
Louisiana Recovery Authority, which was appointed by Blanco October
17th. The Authority will develop everything from a 30-day plan to a
five-year plan to rebuild the state after the devastation left by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Xavier University President Norman
Francis will chair the Authority and former CNN executive and Time
magazine editor Walter Isaacson will serve as its vice
chairman.
In addition to state and local community, civic and business
leaders, public officials at all levels – local, state and
federal – are being invited to participate. The Louisiana
Congressional delegation is being invited to speak to the
Conference at a luncheon on Friday, November 11th about prospects
and strategies for federal long-term rebuilding assistance. Leaders
of additional local and state recovery efforts, such as New Orleans
Mayor Ray Nagin’s Bring New Orleans Back Commission and Lt.
Gov. Mitch Landrieu’s National Advisory Board on culture,
tourism, and the economy, will be invited to participate as
collaborative partners. There will be opportunities for broad-based
public input both before and after the Conference and comments
submitted by the general public will be made part of the official
record of the conference.
“For this conference to be a success, it must be a
collaborative, inclusive, and open process driven by local
Louisiana citizens” said Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, executive
vice president and chief executive officer of the AIA, and a
Louisiana native. “This conference is not intended to dictate
solutions or impose a final plan, but rather to serve as the
initial step that sets the stage and defines conceptual design
principles for the comprehensive planning process in the Louisiana
rebuilding effort.”
“APA is pleased to be working with the State of Louisiana in
rebuilding its historic and diverse communities,” said W. Paul
Farmer, AICP, Executive Director and CEO of the American Planning
Association, and a native of Shreveport. “By participating in
the planning process, residents, business interests, elected
officials, and engaged citizens can ensure that their communities
will meet everyone’s needs and, once again, have lasting
value.”
The November Conference will focus on a range of planning, design,
community development, infrastructure, and economic issues.
Conference sessions will include the following topics:
• Infrastructure (flood control/levees, utilities,
transportation)
• Economic Development (market realities and opportunities,
tourism and conventions, business retention and attraction,
public/private partnerships, incentives, venture and angel
capital)
• Public Services (demographic trends and projections, housing
and mixed-income living, schools and education, public
safety)
• Environment & Public Health (environmental impact, air,
water, soils, brownfields, wetlands, sustainable design)
• Building Communities (planning and designing healthy
neighborhoods; downtowns, suburbs, rural lands, community design;
historic resources and preservation, building codes, zoning, public
land and private property rights).
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