The Roosevelt Institution
Request for Proposals from the Office of Recovery Management
Since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, the city of New Orleans
has worked to revitalize and repopulate itself. Given the scope of the
disaster, the typical problems of an urban revitalization have been
magnified far more than usual. Creative solutions are at a premium.
The New Orleans Office of Recovery Management (ORM) currently holds tens of
thousands of blighted properties in its possession. A property is legally
considered blighted if it fails to meet certain basic health and safety
standards as determined by the Department of Health. Some properties cannot
be recovered, but many blighted properties are slated for rehabilitation.
However, in order to finance the city¹s redevelopment and revitalization,
the ORM needs to find a way in which to monetize the city¹s ownership of
these blighted properties. Doing so will create the financial capital
necessary to increase affordable housing units, bring residents back to the
city, and attract business investment.
The challenge put to the fellows of the Roosevelt Institution is this: Draft
a proposal that demonstrates how the City of New Orleans can monetize its
possession of these thousands of blighted properties. Demonstrate each step
of the process, providing case and/or mock examples where possible.
Indicate the sources of funding and potential stakeholders in the proposed
arrangement, detailing their positions and outlining the arguments for their
investment. Draft a timeline to match the terms of the proposal. Using
information available through the City¹s Redevelopment Authority, Office of
Recovery Management, and other local sources, determine how this policy may
impact the city and its citizens, using both short and long-term
projections.
This project can be tackled by many different chapters in different ways. If you're interested in working on this as an individual or with your chapter, email Danny Townsend at danny.townsend@rooseveltinstitution.org with any thoughts and questions, or to see how to collaborate. Join this group for more periodic updates and to hear what other chapters are doing with the request.
Group members:
Benjamin D Reid
Shipra Roy
Danny Townsend
Kristen E Tullos
Nina Zhang