Urban By Design: My New Orleans Notes

Image: Tulane University

Yesterday, I received my quarterly alumni letter from Dr. Scott Cowen, the President of Tulane University in New Orleans. I'm still very much tied to the city, as evidenced too many times from posts on this blog. I've had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Cowen, when I was a student at the school. He is one of the most dynamic, personable, and committed administrators in higher education anywhere in the country.

Tulane recently participated in the Clinton Global Initiative University, hosting the event on its uptown campus. President Bill Clinton brought a panel to New Orleans to discuss international efforts to rebuild the city.

Image: Tulane University

Since Hurricane Katrina, Tulane has established itself, as the nation's only highly-intensive research university, to require public service from its students before they graduate. It is the hope one day, that Tulane's Center for Public Service will be a national model for other universities, to make similar commitments to their local communities.

The task of rebuilding is daunting. On yesterday's AP wire, it was announced that the newly reconstructed levees are leaking. Dr. Cowen also gave the following statistics for the impact of Katrina within his letter:

• 1,800 people died.

• 400,000 jobs were lost.

• 275,000 + homes were destroyed (10 times as many as in any other U.S. natural disaster).

• 80 percent of Orleans Parish- a land mass equivalent to seven times the size of Manhattan was under water for an average of 57 days.

• Tulane became the first major research university to close its doors for an entire semester. The school lost $650 million because of the storm.

While these statistics were grim, President Cowen expressed optimism for New Orleans' future. He said, "With its own food, music, architecture and way of speaking, this is a unique city, and there's no way America can be America without New Orleans." He also noted that the city had many social, infrastructure and educational problems prior to Katrina, but there is a critical opportunity to make improvements. "We are coming out of this with a better public education system and better neighborhoods. Paradoxically, we now have expectations for the future that we didn't have before Hurricane Katrina."

The university's strides to improve New Orleans, consistently receives accolades, especially in the national media. The Boston Globe recently reported on how many Tulane Students are dedicated to rebuilding the city.

A New Orleans artist returns home
Rashida Ferdinand (left) in 2005 at her home. Ting-Li Wang/NYT

On a related note, I recently saw the New Orleans episodes of PBS'This Old House. Rashida Ferdinand, a local artist, had her house renovated. In this project's introductory video, she discussed her fourth generation ties to the Lower Ninth Ward. Ms. Ferdinand also kept a blog on the Old House website which gives a behind-the-scenes at the project. Her April entry is particularly important, because she discusses how her home has truly become a community resource, which also extends to the art and tourism circles.

Last, but not least, I viewed this video a few weeks ago, which showcases Rashida Ferdinand's artistry in action. Her ceramics studio, Currents of Clay, continues to prosper post Katrina. Ms. Ferdinand certainly exemplifies the sentiments of Dr. Cowen, when he said in his letter, "People are engaged in the city's recovery every single day- individual citizens and collections of citizens remaking this city into a better place. This is one of the most inspiring things I've encountered in my life."

Rashida Ferdinand