Project Statement

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. It was the sixth most powerful hurricane recorded in the Atlantic; the strength of the storm and vulnerability of the city left eighty percent of New Orleans flooded for weeks. The diminishing wetlands were a weakened defense, causing almost all of the levees to be breached. In addition, the levees were not built as they had been designed, causing them to break in over fifty locations.

Residents were not allowed back into New Orleans for weeks after the storm, and power and water were not available for many more months. Along with the deaths, the effects of Hurricane Katrina have damaged livelihoods by destroying all the places people live their lives. Slowly the city is being rebuilt, but new regulations and fear of future flooding are causing people to elevate their homes.

Elevating homes brings new social and place making issues to an area that has lost half of its population. My project will provide a series of strategies to create a sense of place and engage the public realm in this new condition. The strategies are desired to be applicable to the variety of elevation heights and densities.
(painting by Terrance Osborne)