Re-Newing New Orleans: A Look at Why New Urbanism is the Key to Rebuilding New Orleans
The widespread destruction of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina represents a unique opportunity to rebuild the public infrastructure and residential landscape of a major city on a different set of principles for urban planning and design. This exploratory article reviews the social and demographic condition of the city of New Orleans before and after the national disaster, presents new urbanism as a potential framework for urban renewal, and provides a case study of the Hill District in Pittsburgh as a model for local policymakers.
New Urbanism in the Inner City: A Case Study of Pittsburgh
Abstract This article argues that community development efforts can be significantly improved through careful attention to urban design. One potential design application is New Urbanism, which offers promising principles for integrating affordable housing into inner-city neighborhoods. These points are illustrated through a case study of four New Urbanist projects in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Here, New Urbanists have been involved in community-based, inner-city revitalization efforts for more than two decades. This is often overlooked in a critical literature that focuses only on New Urbanist communities in the suburbs. While it is too early to pronounce final, comprehensive judgments on these Pittsburgh projects, they illustrate an important new direction that is worthy of close study by urban planners, community development officials, scholars of urban affairs, and urban designers. Like the best-selling first edition, this report offers specific design guidance to planners, developers, and others involved in laying out, regulating, and reviewing proposals for “traditional neighborhoods.” For this edition, Arendt revised the model ordinance and subdivision regulations to make them easier to implement. Illustrations on the CD-ROM are directly tied to the provisions of the regulations. The CD-ROM also includes the author's running commentary on the regulations.
The Status of Nonprofit-Owned Affordable Housing: Short-Term Successes and Long-Term Challenges
Abstract Having established themselves as housing developers, nonprofit organizations now face the critical challenge of preserving the housing inventory they have produced. Good housing management is essential to this task. This paper analyzes a national study of nonprofit housing management. From several indicators of management performance and financial viability, the picture that emerges is that, for the most part, the developments are functioning well and providing a decent level of affordable housing. Beyond this initial “snapshot” of relative well-being, however, loom significant problems, which if left unaddressed will severely threaten the stock of affordable housing studied here. We have found indicators that prompt concern and that warrant attention from public, private, and nonprofit funders, and from government entities and intermediaries.