Following Hurricane Katrina, Concordia Architects convened and facilitated an interdisciplinary team of urban planners, architects, and community organizers to develop the Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP). Twelve national and local architecture and urban design firms collaborated to deliver ten district plans and one citywide redevelopment plan in less than five months, and the plan included voices of more than 9,000 current and displaced New Orleans residents.
The district plans identified immediate and mid-term priority projects in every community, encouraging resettlement patterns around clusters of school and community services. The majority of stakeholder participants expressed their support for neighborhood schools with gymnasiums, libraries, auditoriums, and health care centers that are open for community use at nights and on weekends. UNOP received a 91% approval rating from citizens and stakeholders and was approved by the City Planning Commission, New Orleans City Council, the Mayor, and the Louisiana Recovery Authority for release of FEMA and CDBG recovery funds.
