New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, one of the poorest and most neglected parts of town, suffered most from Hurricane Katrina. And unlike other neighborhoods, it hasn't seen a post-Katrina renewal bump over the last decade.
Holy Cross is also part of the historic New Orleans high ground known as “the sliver by the river,” the next stop down the Mississippi from the now swank Bywater and Faubourg-Marigny neighborhoods. It's recently gotten the attention of a local developer, Perez Architects, APC. Perez wants to construct a condo and retail development on the 12.5 acres of the old Holy Cross College grounds, hoping to capitalize on the growing appetite for in-town riverfront living. The developer is asking for a zoning variance to allow the construction of nearly 300 apartments in several multi-unit buildings, including two that would be 7 stories tall—higher than the 4 stories permitted under current zoning, although reduced from the initial 13-story proposal. The plan also calls for more than 500 parking spaces...
Read more via The Atlantic Monthly
Read more via The Atlantic Monthly
, the piano genius who died in 1980, and 
, the singer and trumpet player who is New Orleans’s most famous musician of the moment...
focuses on the redevelopment of New Orleans' vibrant Lower Ninth Ward which was severely devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Invited by the Make It Right Foundation, formed by Brad Pitt and GRAFT, a group of high-profile and influential international architects set about developing affordable, green housing for the area, incorporating the latest in innovative and sustainable design. The projects by David Adjaye, GRAFT, MVRDV, and Shigeru Ban, among others, are shown in numerous photographs and renderings with sketches, building plans, and informative commentary by the architects. Along with an interview with Brad Pitt on his motivation to start the Make It Right Foundation to help in New Orleans' reconstruction, the book also includes essays on the overall design process and describes the sustainable Cradle to Cradle approach, which seeks to maximize economic, ecological, and social value by following principles inspired by nature. Architecture in Times of Need also features the Pink Project, a unique effort that directly connects monetary donations to the assemblage of houses. It brings to fruition an idea based on real needs and real people, and in reaction to a natural disaster, the recurrence of which is all too possible.
