Nathan Norris Letter

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It is interesting to differentiate the Hurricane Katrina disaster with 9/11. Some argued after 9/11 that the CNU should jump into the media fray with ideas on how to plan the area. The seasoned leaders of the movement suggested that we let the conventional process flail for years before jumping in.

Fast forward four years and differentiate that situation with the Gulf Coast disaster. The key differences include:

• Here in hurricane country, it is difficult to find opposition to our ideas. Charrettes are becoming somewhat non-eventful love-in's. Indeed, before the hurricane came I was scheduled to meet with the mayor of one of the devastated coastal cities on ways to encourage better development.

• John Norquist gives our organization the ability and credibility to effectively deal with the national media.

• Andres Duany designed the plan for Baton Rouge (which has been well-received), and his firm's projects along the coast continue to be the focus of discussions on how best to develop in the region. He has the most lauded projects in Mississippi and Alabama. Builder Magazine's designation of Andres as the most powerful designer in the building industry last December is confirmation of the newly found status of the movement's ideas. Other signs of the tipping point (from an idea perspective) are too numerous to mention.

• We have a mature form-based and transect-based code available to communities that did not exist four years ago.

• Mike Krusee, Chairman of the House Transportation Committee in Texas, is now on our board.

• Hank Dittmar heads up the Prince's Foundation.

• The handling of the post 9/11 design challenges is seen as a failure.

• This disaster, in combination with unrelated recent events, has focused the media's attention on rising energy costs.

• The threat of suburbanization of China and India is on the radar screen.

What has not changed since 9/11 is that we seem to have a monopoly on an understanding of the big picture. We understand the relationship between transportation, regional planning, neighborhood planning, energy policy, etc. In other words, we have folks who can connect the dots. It seems to me that it is time for our coming out party.

We have the team and the connections to be successful at this time. I recommend that the Board of the CNU hold an emergency teleconference to discuss a proposed strategy for stepping forward and helping this nation connect the dots.

Nathan R. Norris
Director of Implementation Advisory
PlaceMakers, L.L.C.

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Last edited by steve filmanowicz.   Page last modified on September 02, 2005