Planning Sessions
Moved to Tent
Behind Government Complex

In a new twist on the tradition of seeking solutions by getting as many people as possible "into the tent," the Louisiana Recovery Authority's (LRA) community charrette process now moves under a real tent in hurricane-devastated St. Bernard Parish. The charrette team will work from March 7-15 in a tent at the St.Bernard Parish Government Complex at 8201 West Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette.

"We have to be in the thick of it," said Andres Duany, after a weekend tour of St. Bernard Parish, where he walked the streets and talked to locals. "If we had kept our work inside a downtown New Orleans hotel, we might have thought we were being more productive. But the truth is, we'll be more productive wherever the community feels most involved. I'm not sure people would have come to us in a hotel in New Orleans. We should come to them."

Duany, a principal in the planning and architecture firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co., has been leading a team! of designers and planners from his own firm and consultants from around the country in a series of three intensive planning charrettes sponsored by the LRA. The LRA targeted three distinct post-hurricane situations in South Louisiana. The St. Bernard Parish event, scheduled for March 7-15, is the third of these design charrettes.

LRA Planning Session to Rebuild
Arabi Begins March 7

The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) will hold a rebuilding planning session, or "charrette," in St. Bernard Parish from March 7 to 15, 2006. The charrette is the forum in which Andres Duany, of Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) Architects and Town Planners, works with local leaders and citizens to gather input to incorporate into a long-term building plan for an area. This charrette is one of several opportunities for Louisiana citizens and community organizations to have an impact on the Louisiana Speaks planning effort for rebuilding South Louisiana.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for citizens of our state to make their dreams about their hometowns become a reality. We have the best urban and rural planning minds at our disposal. I urge everyone to take full advantage of this chance to help design the future communities of Louisiana," said Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.

The public is encouraged to attend the following sessions:

Opening presentation on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 at 6 p.m. at the St. Bernard Court House, located at 1101 West Saint Bernard Highway Chalmette, LA 70043;
Pin-up and design review session on Friday, March 10, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. in the Crescent Room at the Wyndham Canal Place, located at 100 Rue Iberville New Orleans, LA 70130 and;
Final closing presentation on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. at the Saint Bernard Court House.

The charrette studio will be at the Crescent Room in the Wyndham Canal Place, located at 100 Rue Iberville New Orleans, LA 70130. For a more detailed schedule, visit www.louisianaspeaks.org.

These charrettes represent the next phase of the Louisiana Speaks planning effort, which is a multi-faceted planning process designed to develop a sustainable long-term vision for South Louisiana in the wake of the destruction caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In the first phase of this effort, the LRA partnered with FEMA Long Term Community Recovery (LTCR) Teams and local officials to develop parish-level recovery plans for 19 of the most heavily impacted parishes in South Louisiana. These parish recovery plans will be used to set funding priorities for the recovery effort and will also be used to form a baseline for the regional vision.

On January 19, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and the LRA introduced the state's team of world-renowned planners, designers and architects as the second phase of the Louisiana Speaks planning effort. Also underway are workshops by Urban Design Associates in Hammond, Lafayette and Baton Rouge. The DPZ planning team began its work in Lake Charles and then worked in Vermilion Parish in the towns of Erath, Delcambre and Abbeville.

"With input from locals next week, we will plan options for building a safer, stronger and smarter community in Arabi," said Andres Duany of DPZ.

"Our residents are anxious to return home to St. Bernard Parish. This is a wonderful gift to our community and it will help us rebuild for the future. We are engaged in the planning process and we are ready to make Arabi a vibrant community again," said Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez.

For further information on the UDA workshops and meetings, visit the website at www.louisianaspeaks.org or the Louisiana Recovery Authority website at www.lra.louisiana.gov.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses and inflicting about $25 billion in insured losses.

The LRA is a 26-member body appointed by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to identify and prioritize short- and long-term needs of the recovery. It will seek out and value local input as it plans and implements the recovery.

The LRA is supported by the LRA Support Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization that has raised private funds to secure the current team of world-renowned planners and experts who are responsible for developing plans for rebuilding South Louisiana.

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