The Dutch & The Dough

THE DUTCH
Newer Orleans - Shared Space Symposium took place today in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was an architectural conference between six American and Dutch architecture firms on the rebuilding of New Orleans as a port city, focusing on the levees and water management issues post-Katrina. The picture shown above is a solution by Dutch firm MVRDV for a school built within a hill.

At the same time in all modesty, professionals in the Netherlands can possibly contribute to some of the Water Management and Urban Planning Issues in New Orleans. Our country in terms of Flood Risk Management is rediscovered recently as several American visits were paid to our country (US Army Corps of Engineers; Louisiana State representatives). How can we, Dutch professionals and experts, support our colleagues in New Orleans to develop both sustainable technical solutions and ideas of spatial planning. How can we achieve urban quality in New Orleans? How can we give the city both old and new identities? Rebuilding New Orleans has to happen fast. Many people can not return to their homes yet, because all kinds of city facilities are not in use or connected. The ruins of destroyed houses, schools, offices and other buildings still need to be cleaned in many areas of the city. Can urbanism also help to solve the major social disaster after Katrina, which is a black exodus from the poorest areas of New Orleans?

THE DOUGH
$4.2 billion more federal money will hopefully be flowing into Louisiana thanks to G-Dubya Bush's request to Congress today. Perhaps the people are finally getting noticed, the millions of Nola-lovers pushing for attention that the problem is not over and is unlikely to be fixed without the much needed support of the feds. Looks like vacation time's up for W. Keep it comin.

SEE YOU SOON NOLA… NINE DAYS AND COUNTING. BEST GRAS EVER, I CAN SEE IT NOW.