The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina shook the United States in many ways. Environmental justice, race/class struggles, and a strong sense of distrust towards government agencies were some of the issues raised by this tragic disaster. These and other inter-related issues made it very difficult to understand and help resolve the situation in New Orleans and the Gulf Region. As a response to this complicated phenomenon, a group of planning students decided to make an attempt to disentangle these issues and obtain a deeper understanding of the City of New Orleans. This movement resulted in a collective reading course directed by Professor Ken Reardon in the later half of the fall 2005 semester.
This reading course, Seminar on Rebuilding New Orleans (CRP 679.04), focused on five relevant topics: environment, race/class, politics, economics, and illustrative case studies. The class spent a week discussing each topic. Students conducted independent library research and constructed a preliminary bibliography that provides a brief understanding of the City of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. In addition, they constructed a
briefing document (PDF) of New Orleans, specifically focusing on the 9th Ward, along with an annotated
resource guide (PDF).
In addition to New Orleans-related coursework and other academic assistance, Cornell also contributed to physical rebuilding efforts in the Crescent City. Over winter break in January and spring break in March, students and faculty from the Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP) volunteered their time to make service trips to New Orleans. Under the direction of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), these volunteers helped residents by gutting and emptying their homes. They also contributed to efforts to rehabilitate the St. Roch market, which CRP's historic preservation program hopes to convert into a farmers' market and community center.
New Orleans Planning Initiative's (NOPI) mission to assist the 9th Ward with academic research and analysis continued with seven CRP classes in 2005-2006 focusing on various aspects of the rebuilding effort. Students and faculty from these classes journeyed to New Orleans to gather data. The visit culminated with a meeting of the 9th Ward Action Team Steering Committee. This meeting involved CRP students, representatives of ACORN and Louisiana State University, and area residents. Another important meeting of this type took place on Saturday, March 25 while many CRP students and faculty were in New Orleans over spring break. In the summer of 2006 NOPI, together with ACORN, offered eight planning internships aimed at supporting the revitalization efforts in the 9th Ward. These internships were full-time and lasted for eight weeks.
Over subsequent years Cornell has continued its involvement through workshops and internships.
