NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate

SEMINAR IN POST-CATASTROPHE RECONSTRUCTION (PCR)

Fall 2010/Spring 2011 - Haiti

This graduate course can be applied to the M.S. in Real Estate (REAL1-GC3190) or the M.S. in Real Estate Development (DEVE1-GC3050).

During the fall 2010 semester, the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate established partnerships with two on-the-ground non-governmental organizations (NGOs)--Architecture for Humanity and the Konbit Shelter Project. These partnerships enabled students to research, and contribute to, one of four projects. By partnering with on-the-ground organizations, NYU Schack students experienced the complexities, setbacks, and strategies needed to be effective in post-catastrophe redevelopment as it progresses through the murky stages of emergency assistance to long-term rebuilding. In some cases, the students’ work was used by the NGO partners in submissions to the government of Haiti and the World Bank, providing invaluable expertise that on-the-ground partner NGOs were lacking. Given the limited resources of NGOs and private firms operating in Haiti and other post-catastrophe environments, students’ contributions have been, and will continue to be, valuable to the progress of rebuilding in Haiti and other post-catastrophic environments.

The following briefly describes the four projects students were involved in during the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters.

Architecture for Humanity (AFH): Delmas 32, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

The government of Haiti and the World Bank are undertaking a pilot project in Delmas 32, a district of 100,000 people in Port-au-Prince devastated by the earthquake of January 12, 2010. The project is intended to be a model for future participatory planning and sustainable post-catastrophe reconstruction. AFH is working with a planning and consulting firm in Port-au-Prince hired by the Haitian government to oversee the participatory process, community visioning, and to help create a conceptual master plan that will guide future redevelopment in Delmas 32. In fall 2010, NYU Schack students were able to contribute to various parts of the conceptual master plan (which has since been submitted to the government of Haiti), including infrastructure and transportation planning, housing reconstruction, homeownership program proposals, and sustainable livelihood development ideas.

Architecture for Humanity (AFH) and Habitat For Humanity (HFH): North Pole Project, Haiti

AFH and HFH have identified five possible development sites in the Northern Pole Planning Area (NPPA), which is a 7,000 hectare site approximately 25 kilometers northwest of Port-au-Prince that is available for redevelopment through eminent domain. Since one of the government’s goals in the rebuilding of Haiti is to create settlements that encourage the decentralization of Port-au-Prince, AFH has done preliminary master planning exercises for one of the sites, which is located along National Highway 1. Fall 2010 and spring 2011 students helped take the preliminary master planning to the next level by providing specific guided proposals for housing development, livelihood development, and infrastructure and transportation design, as well as land tenure issues that include participating in, and advising for, land negotiation discussions.

Architecture for Humanity (AFH): The Rebuilding Center, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

AFH runs its reconstruction program out of the Rebuilding Center in Port-au-Prince, which aims to coordinate and collaborate with local professionals, educational institutions, and other NGOs. The Rebuilding Center is intended to serve as a one-stop shop for professional design and construction services, providing workforce training, consumer education, professional referrals, and act as a clearinghouse for reconstruction bid and tender opportunities. NYU Schack students are contributing to the Rebuilding Center’s established mission--and its expansion--by proposing unique loan fund structures that could help finance reconstruction and small- and medium-sized business development.

Konbit Shelter Project, Leogone, Haiti

Konbit Homes are dome-style structures built from locally resourced materials, including building debris. The homes are weather resistant, can be built without specialized equipment or knowledge, and allow all members of the community to participate in rebuilding. In the fall 2010 semester, NYU Schack students advised the Konbit Shelter artists on how they could better fund their project by providing creative financing ideas.

NYU Schack is committed to contributing to the long-term rebuilding of Haiti and other post-catastrophic areas. In connection with this seminar, NYU Schack is honored to have become a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, allowing NYU Schack to build valuable relationships that ensure the continued engagement of recovery efforts in Haiti and other post-catastrophic environments.

The Seminar in Post-Catastrope Reconstruction is offered each semester, providing partner organizations with a consistent supply of human capital to further reconstruction projects, and providing corresponding Haitian students an ongoing interaction with NYU Schack that allows them to take an active role in the real estate and construction policies of their country.

In addition, during the spring 2011 semester, NYU Schack formed relationships with Un Techo para mi Pais, an NGO that builds housing and large-scale developments in post-catastrophe areas of Chile. NYU Schack intends to cultivate the same type of relationship--and long-term commitment to providing expertise--with this organization as it did in Haiti and with Architecture for Humanity.

NYU Schack visit to Port-au-Prince, Haiti