Giving Back By Christopher Durso

Take Away

‘We Can’t Not Do Something in NewOrleans’

The American Institute of Architects wanted to give its host city something that would last—a comprehensive series of recommendations for rebuilding one of its most important corridors.

NewOrleanshadalreadybeenthebeneficiaryof manycommunity-service projectswhen theAmer- ican Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2011 National Convention and Design Exposition came to town onMay12–14.With parts of the city still bearing the scars of Hurricane Katrina, the challenge for AIA was finding a project that would speak to its members—andhave a tangibleimpactonthe city. At its 2010 annual meeting in Miami, AIA

had revived a previous commitment to performing a “legacy project” in its host city. “Knowing the needs of [New Orleans],wesaid,‘We can’t not do something inNewOrleans aswell,’” said Joel Mills, director of AIA’s Center for Communities by Design (CxD), through which AIA members do freework on creating livable communities across the country.“We wanted to put together a public- service project that could make a contribution to the city’s planning needs and where it’s going.” That turned out to be a pro-bono design assis-

tance project—known as a charrette —for the Elysian Fields Avenue corridor, which stretches through downtown New Orleans, from Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. It was an ambitious choice, according toCxDteamleaderand Seattle-based architect J.ToddScott,“because itwas suchanimportant corridor,andone thathadn’t real- ly been addressed after Katrina.” Elysian Fields Avenue’s architectural anddemographic diversity, Scott said, encompass “everything from 300-year- old Creole houses near the French Quarter to mid-centurymodern institutions like the Universi- ty of New Orleans at the lakefront ... and some neighborhoods closer to the lakefront that were completely decimated by the hurricane.” Indeed, itwas such a potentially largeundertak- ing that one of the biggest challenges for themul-

tidisciplinaryCxDteam—whichincluded econom- ic-development experts, landscape architects, hous- ing specialists, and transportation planners—was figuring outwhat theywanted to do.To get start- ed, Ellis and Scott visitedNewOrleans in January, and, working with local architect Allen Eskew, toured the corridorandmetwith residents, civicand community leaders, and other stakeholders. Four months later, the entire team convened a

fewdays beforeAIA’s National Convention. They walked Elysian FieldsAvenue, conducted a work- shop with students from an area high school, and convened a town-hall meeting “with all the groups along the corridor we could get to show up,” Scott said.Headded: “Itwasn’t untilweulti- mately got the team together and began the process thatwefinally determined the best thing for us to do was give them a tool box—alist of tools— they could use to begin making improvements along the corridor, from sustainability to eco- nomic development.” The result was a 49-page report—presented

publicly at DillardUniversity the night before the National Convention got under way —that lays out a detailed plan for the physical, economic, and cultural revitalization of ElysianFieldsAvenue. (See TakeAway, at right.)“The city itself did have a few of themayor’s representatives heavily involved in the process at various points,” Ellis said. “Partic- ularly their newOffice ofNeighborhoodEngage- ment was excited about the team’s recommenda- tions, and was going to propose adopting a lot of what was recommendedaround the neighborhood issues.” City officials especially seemed to appre- ciate the CxD team’s commitment to “not being grandiose and proposing things that are going to take a long time.”

ON_THE_WEB: For more information about AIA’s Center for Communities by Design, visit www.aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAS075265. To read CxD’s Elysian Fields Avenue report, visit www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab089781.pdf.

40 pcma convene October 2011 ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT HANSON

Building Blocks AIA’s recommenda- tions for the Elysian Fields Avenue corri- dor include: Focus on strength- ening existing com- mercial nodes. Provide a united front in the approach to economic develop- ment. Implement an annu- al neighborhood fair. Develop a demon- stration project to rehabilitate properties along the corridor. Develop workforce housing on specific parcels. Develop matching- fund programs for neighborhoods and homeowners. Implement a shared approach for using and maintaining the neutral ground. Encourage adjacent institutions to manage rainwater on site. Develop a wayfind- ing system and create pedestrianloops. Lay the groundwork for possible streetcar expansion. Focus on activities that neighborhoods can do on their own.

Christopher Durso is executive editor of Convene.

Giving Back is sponsored by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, www.fairmont.com.