The investigators will study urban planning for reconstruction in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. This is a unique opportunity, because it is this nation's greatest urban planning challenge in modern times. Specifically, this research will study how plans affect reconstruction decisions made by public organizations, private investors, and individuals. Planning in practice is actually quite complicated, involving many actors making many different types of plans. Plans are pieces of information that help people to make decisions. The study will rely on news accounts, plan documents, internal memos, interviews, blogs, and films of planning meetings to see how plans affected specific reconstruction decisions.
Catastrophic disasters are rare. This research responds to the critical opportunity to provide knowledge that can help develop planning strategies following the next catastrophic disaster. The results will help municipalities, state agencies, and FEMA in organizing for reconstruction following future catastrophic disasters. In addition, it will contribute to urban planning education by broadening understanding of how plans work.
