Early Signs of Progress in New Orleans

Having just completed a 30-day stint working in New Orleans, it was nice to get back to the office and find the November issue of Metropolis waiting in my mailbox. I particularly enjoyed Susan Szenasy’s thoughts about the need for a truly interdisciplinary and collaborative effort to rebuild New Orleans [“Notes from Metropolis: New Orleans on Our Minds”]. Such a process could lead to a safer environment for all of the city’s inhabitants, safeguard New Orleans’s rich cultural and natural resources, address inequities, preserve the city’s uniqueness, and restore the joie de vivre of this great American place.

While destruction was widespread, it was amazing to see the progress over the past weeks. The resiliency of the people of New Orleans is truly inspiring and I am more optimistic than ever about the future of the city.

Thanks,

Andy Ferrell
Chief, Architecture and Engineering
National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
Natchitoches, Louisiana