New Orleans
Plugging into Planning: Baltimore and New Orleans
I am enjoying the last day of my Independent Activities Period (IAP) – the period after winter break in which all students at MIT can take one of many non-credit or for-credit course offerings at MIT, set up a winter externship, or just do nothing. This amounts to six weeks of bliss!
Greening New Orleans
In the slow recovery from Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is finally getting into the green movement.
Friday Funny: Rats Prefer Manhattan
Rats choose Manhattan because if its logical street grid, according to new research by a team of zoologists and geographers at Tel Aviv University, who are using rats to test wayfinding in cities.
New Orleans Riverfront Redevelopment Approved
Plans to redevelop a section of the Mississippi Riverfront in New Orleans have been approved and construction could begin by the end of 2009.
First Homes Completed in Brad Pitt's New Orleans Effort
In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, Hurricane Katrina's devastation is painfully evident. But a philanthropic homebuilding effort led by actor Brad Pitt aims to help the neighborhood rebuild. The first homes in that effort have just completed construction.
NOLA Medical Campus to Replace Historic Buildings
A proposed New Orleans hospital will have to be built on top of an historic neighborhood that some residents feel that they have just regained. Those in favor of the project insist that the selection of that site was necessary.
New Orleans' Streetcars Make a Comeback
All of Canal Street's red streetcars were damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but up to nine restored streetcars may be in service by the end of the year.
Community-Based Progress in Post-Katrina New Orleans
The grieving period has ended, and now resilient New Orleaneans are taking it upon themselves to rebuild their beloved city. Though it's sure to be a slow process, this could very well be community organization at its best.
A Shrinking City is Not a Failed City
Once New Orleans comes to terms with the fact that it is a shrinking city, the city's culture and geographic location can help bring it back.
New Orleans Planning By Force of Law
New Orleans residents this Election Day will decide whether to grant the "force of law" to the city's master plan, making it more difficult for officials to make amendments and exceptions for specific projects. The master plan has yet to be written.
Post-Katrina Housing Goes Ikea
Following the Ikea model, home builder John Sawyer is bringing a new -- and cheaper -- process to affordable housing in New Orleans.
Corps Requests Removal or Levee Encroachments
New Orleans homeowners have begun receiving letters from the Army Corps of Engineers demanding that they remove objects that obstruct nearby levees' rights of way, including fences and trees. If history repeats itself, this may get messy.
From Bad to Worse in NOLA
The economic crisis is the latest hindrance to stall rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. From issues of boosting homeownership to restoring tourism, the Big Easy's road to recovery is looking bumpier than ever.
Continued Demolition Threatens New Orleans Character
In post-Katrina New Orleans, a fine line exists between razing potentially deadly structures, and harnessing a zeal for wholesale redevelopment.
The Catch-22 of New Orleans Transit
Since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, public transit in New Orleans has struggled to rebound. With few riders, service expansions can't be justified. But with diminished service, fewer view transit as a viable option.
Katrina's Homeless Still Searching for Housing
Housing -- or the lack of it -- remains a major issue in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Louisianans Flee Coast As Hurricane Hits Land
With Hurricane Gustav reaching land Monday, nearly 2 million people have been evacuated from coastal Louisiana. The evacuation is being hailed as a vast improvement from the effort three years ago during Hurricane Katrina, but some residents remain.
Learning from Katrina, Three Years Later
Three years later, Hurricane Katrina has had lasting effects on New Orleans. It's also taught America some lessons about how to react to natural disasters -- and how not to.
New Anchor For New Orleans
New Orleans officials say they have enough grants and private funds to move forward on a "Great Lawn" park for the city, functioning as a gathering place and a link to other attractions.
New Orleans Streets Updated
This story from NPR looks at a new bike lane in New Orleans, and other efforts the city is taking to update its street infrastructure.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
