This project seeks to address the needs of residents of the Lower Ninth Ward, developing new flood mitigation and transportation systems, as well as single-family and multi-unit housing. It takes on the enormous tasks of environmental relief, public safety, and personal protection.
New neighborhood block plans propose a combination of mixed-density and mixed-use housing with first-floor retail spaces, ensuring that residents do not have to travel long distances to buy what they need. New single-family housing is inspired by the traditional shotgun house to preserve the heritage of New Orleans' urban fabric. New technology is applied to housing construction, creating “floating” houses with buoyant polystyrene platforms for safety during times of severe flooding. All of the proposed housing solutions incorporate a new water use system that seeks to reduce water and energy consumption. A new community center with steel storm shutters anchors the neighborhood plan as a communal space that doubles as a last-resort refuge center.
Focusing on the regional needs for transportation and evacuation, the scheme overlays inter-city and intra-city rail routes on the existing city grid. It incorporates both light rail for inter-city travel with Advanced Vehicle Transport (ATV) for longer distance travel, which is particularly energy efficient. Transportation hubs are located on high ground and serve as community nodes.
The scheme also imagines a coastal rehabilitation system that would deposit sediment into areas losing acreage through environmental degradation. Marshes developed in low-lying areas, as well as dams that release fresh water are imagined as flood mitigation systems that will draw flood water away from the built environment.