Rebuilding A Sustainable Haiti: Symposium at the Institute for Urban Design (NYC)

Dear All,

Just got this in my box today, and wish I had gotten it sooner, as it would have been great for some NYC Poto members to attend. Am posting it anyway, as there might be some potential partnerships and members here!

Rebuilding A Sustainable Haiti: Symposium at the Institute for Urban Design (NYC)

Urgent as the immediate need for shelter and housing is, Haiti’s long-term economic and social welfare depends on a comprehensive approach to planning for a more sustainable future; the rebuilding process must seek to transform the country’s built environment, not just replace it.

With the help of many foreign countries, NGOs, and its own rich diaspora community, the Haitian government has developed the outlines of a post-earthquake action plan, the Action Plan for the Reconstruction and National Development of Haiti. Using this plan and its corollary, the Post Disaster Needs Assessment as a starting point for discussion, the Institute for Urban Design is planning a major conference on June 4 focused on long-term and sustainable rebuilding in Haiti.

IfUD will convene architects, planners, public health specialists, representatives from NGOs, and government officials from both Haiti and the United States to identify specific needs, and develop an action plan to address them. The conference is designed to leverage the incredible experience of the design and planning community in the Northeast, complementing local efforts to rebuild in an innovative and just way.

Leading this important discussion is Leslie Voltaire, the planner heading the Haitian government’s Reconstruction Team and a UN Special Envoy to Haiti. He will be joined by a team of panelists with a wealth of experience in the worlds of development, infrastructure, land tenure, education, slum upgrading, and post-disaster planning. They include:

Ami Desai, Foreign Policy Advisor, Clinton Foundation

Patrice Nevil, Director of Infrastructure, Partners in Health

Chris Williams, Washington DC Representative, UN-HABITAT

Louis Herns Marcelin, Director, Interuniversity Institute for Research and Development Haiti (INURED)

David Mulet, Project Coordinator, Organization of American States (OAS)

David Evans, Chief Technical Advisor, UN-HABITAT Sri Lanka

R. Steven Lewis, President, National Organization of Minority Architects

Garry Pierre-Pierre, Editor and Publisher, Haitian Times

Deborah Gans, Principal, Gans Studio

James Dart, Principal, DARCH

Toni L. Griffin, Adjunct Associate Professor, Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Recommended Reading:
http://www.ifud.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Action_Plan_12April.pdf
Action Plan for the Reconstruction and National Development of Haiti
The Haitian government’s rebuilding plan is based on the PDNA; a draft was presented at the March 28 Donor’s Conference at the United Nations, and the final plan was published on April 12, 2010.

PDNA: Haiti Earthquake Post-Disaster Needs Assessment: Assessment of Damage, Losses, General and Sectoral Needs
http://www.ifud.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/PDNA.pdf
PDNA: Executive Summary
http://www.ifud.org/haiti/
Prepared by a joint team composed of representatives of the government and members of the international community. (Full document and Executive Summary)

Voices from the Shanties
http://www.ifud.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Voices-from-the-Shanties_...
The Port-au-Prince based think tank INURED’s survey of 962 residents of the Cite Soleil neighborhood to determine living conditions and immediate post-quake needs.

Haitian Diaspora Forum’s Consolidated Recommendations
http://www.ifud.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Diaspora_ConsolidatedReco...
A March 21-23 forum held at the Organization of American State’s headquarters convened members of the Haitian diaspora to develop a strategy on how the community can help in reconstruction efforts.

Integrated Strategic Framework
http://www.ifud.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Integrated-Strategic-Fram...
The Haitian government’s Ministry of Economy and Finance’s analysis of the economic challenges and issues in the rebuilding process.

Haiti Building Damage Atlas
http://unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat/asp/prod_free.asp?id=52
The UN’s series of comprehensive building damage maps were created from satellite imagery, and detail damage according to geographic area and building type.

Modernization of Cadastre and Land Rights Infrastructure in Haiti
http://www.ifud.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Modernization-of-Cadastre...
The Organization of American States’ proposal for updating Haiti’s cadastre to aide the reconstruction process.