ABOUT
"This neighborhood is coming back, we are committed as individuals and as a community to making Broadmoor a model for neighborhood revitalization in New Orleans and beyond."
LaToya Cantrell, President, Broadmoor Improvement Association
Project Goals and Objectives
Rebuilding New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is among the most complex and formidable domestic policy challenges to have faced American government in the past century. The crisis has clearly shown the limitations of traditional forms of bureaucratic government. It also holds the potential to foster new and innovative approaches to governance through broad-based civic engagement and new forms of public-private partnership. While it was once sufficient for government bureaucracies to deliver narrowly defined “vertical” services to target populations using rigid decision-rules, the multi-dimensional and interlinked nature of the problems posed by post-Katrina reconstruction require more flexible “horizontal” solutions forged through collaborative efforts between the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The successful resurrection of New Orleans will unquestionably require a focused and sustained multi-sector approach and tremendous community involvement from all citizens.
The Broadmoor Neighborhood
The Broadmoor area of New Orleans makes up 365 acres in the heart of the city. The neighborhood is racially, ethnically, and economically diverse.
During the spring and summer of 2006, the residents of Broadmoor held over 150 planning meetings to develop and write a comprehensive 319-page plan on how to rebuild their neighborhood. It was the first detailed plan produced for any neighborhood in the city (released in July of 2006 versus January of 2007 for all other neighborhood plans). It is also the only plan produced by the residents themselves and therefore "owned" by the residents.
The Broadmoor Improvement Association has been invaluable in planning and implementing the neighborhood's redevelopment goals. Established in 1930 as one of New Orleans first neighborhood associations, the BIA has acted as a civic advocacy group on behalf of Broadmoor residents and business owners for seventy years.
Student Involvement
Harvard University graduate students contribute to the Broadmoor Project in many different ways. Eighty Harvard University students have spent either spring break or summer vacation in New Orleans consulting and collecting data on repopulation, education, housing, and economic development.
