When it comes to rebuilding the Gulf Coast, the cavalry has arrived -- and given so many displaced residents say they won't be around to see what's rebuilt, maybe the people in the white hats haven't arrived too late to change some minds.

Helping to rebuild cities from all manner of destruction, decay and declining livability since 1936, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) recently received a vote of confidence from New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his "Bring New Orleans Back" commission, which agreed to accept assistance from the institute as the commission develops a master rebuilding plan by the end of the year.

Saving landmarks and historic communities from the wrecking ball since 1949, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, along with the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans and the Mississippi Heritage Trust, announced the opening of two offices to likewise assist with rebuilding efforts.

Running as deep as the flood waters that submerged New Orleans, the deluge of theses -- from the asinine to the Zeitgeist -- for and against rebuilding the region, should begin to recede as the two stalwarts of sustainable structures and "smart" cities get to work offering advice steeped in realism and integrity, rather than emotion and bottom-line economics.

That could help change the minds of some 39 percent of New Orleans residents surveyed who said they either definitely or probably won't return home, according to a USA Today/CNN Gallup Poll of adults who registered with the American Red Cross for assistance.

Among those polled, 57 percent owned property and 39 percent rented. Thirty-two percent of those polled said their house was either destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.

African Americans were twice as likely as whites to say they won't return. Those with higher and lower incomes were also more likely to plan on relocating than middle income earners. Younger residents, those 30 and younger, said they were more likely to move move on. Among those with homes destroyed or uninhabitable, 89 percent said they are gone.

That's too bad because both the institute and the trust are known for a Phoenix-like rejuvenation of buildings and their communities.

The ULI has under its belt some 400 advisory service panels that provided input crucial to rebuilding or redevelopment efforts in a host of areas including San Jose, CA's once dilapidated downtown, Pittsburg's formerly rusted out Technology Center district, a stagnant Ground Zero reuse effort on the site of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York City and a host of others from Jackson, MS to Barcelona, Spain.

"Now is the time to create an implementable vision for the new New Orleans," said ULI Chairman Marilyn J. Taylor.

"ULI will bring its expertise in land use policy, sustainability and development to support the knowledge of the commission, local ULI members, community leaders, and citizens in creating a vision for rebuilding this great American city. New Orleans deserves to be redesigned and rebuilt with equity and sustainability," she said.

The National Trust has left its indelible mark in every state in the nation.

Since President Harry Truman signed legislation to create the National Trust, the private, nonprofit membership organization has grown from a landmark-at-a-time operation to saving from demolition entire communities and, along with them, the very fabric of history.

"Over the past 55 years, the idea of preservation has grown and matured from a focus on saving individual buildings and major landmarks to realizing saving a building at a time didn't make much sense. The focus should be on the community and the neighborhood," said Dwight Young, a spokesman for the national trust.

The trust's stewardship for the history in the devastated Gulf Coast area further evolves the group's calling.

"The National Trust has never undertaken an effort of this kind before because we've never had to deal with a cultural disaster of this magnitude before. If historic buildings and neighborhoods are unnecessarily destroyed in the name of recovery, it will only compound the damage inflicted by the hurricanes. We're determined to do everything possible to keep that from happening," said Richard Moe, president of the trust.

As part of its effort, ULI will work on the formation of an advisory panel of international and national experts specific to post-disaster redevelopment and urban regeneration; it will procure the development of Ten Principles for Temporary Communities; provide additional input from ULI's membership comprised of a vast network of disciplines from architects and redevelopment officials to "smart" growth experts and regional planners and it provide coordination with other groups involved in the rebuilding effort.

The ULI's aim is to help Nagin's commission meet a goal of developing a rebuilding vision within three months.

The National Trust, aligning with local trust and heritage groups, will offer free clean-up supplies and technical assistance for restoring damaged homes, weekly workshops to assist homeowners and neighborhood associations in efforts to restore homes and neighborhoods.

Pre-development loans with two-year terms and up to $50,000 will be available in some areas at below market rates for feasibility studies, architecture services and other preliminary work required to verify the work necessary for project related development.

The cavalry has arrived.

Published: October 18, 2005

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the website, DeadlineNews.com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home, Nolo, and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.