New Orleans making peace with its water

The official publication of GreenBuild International Conference and Expo, hosted by the city of New Orleans in October 2014, takes a multi-perspective look at how the Big Easy is rebuilding almost a decade after Hurricane Katrina. Among the half dozen articles I contributed to this special edition of Green Building & Design is "Working With Water," a 2300-word article about the proposed Urban Water Plan, a transformative reconfiguration of how water could be managed to optimal outcomes. Throughout the 20th century water was NoLa's enemy, pumped out and held back; perhaps in the 21st century, water can beautify the city and be loved by residents and visitors alike.

Near and dear to my triathlete heart is how city officials believe that more schoolchildren need to learn how to swim. After all, if New Orlean's walled-off industrial-aesthetic canals are transformed from ugliness to ribbons of greenways and blueways, shouldn't kids in this sub-tropical city think of it as recreational fun instead of something dangerous? For urban planning to work, it has to be matched by the culture and the predispositions of the urban dwellers.

Russ Klettke is an enthusiastic sustainability writer, but also works with companies and organizations in communicating on a broad variety of topics: finance and real estate, food and fitness , infrastructure and architecture among them. Contact him to discuss your communications needs.