ABSTRACT
The Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP) planning coordinator Steven Bingler and his Concordia staff met with City Planning Commission director Yolanda Rodriguez and city planner Dubravka Gilic to assign district planning consultants to neighborhoods. In preparing for the UNOP process, the first task was to develop the overall structure of the citywide and district teams and draft a schedule of milestones. The New Orleans Community Support Foundation had hired a public relations consultant to carry out the critical task of communicating to New Orleanians via flyers, statewide newspaper ads, and media advisories. For one, the planning efforts so far in New Orleans made it clear that, in the absence of clear, regular, and consistent communication, residents would fill the void with rumors informed by mistrust. Instead, the planning teams would identify areas that needed help—whatever their boundaries might be—and work with them to boost the overall district planning effort.
