This article was originally featured in the July issue of New Orleans CityBusiness. Article by Tommy Santora.
Terri and Ian Dreyer discuss repurposing existing infrastructure into multi-use community “arx”, or hubs. While their three concepts are site specific, the intention is that the design strategy would be easily modified to effectively apply to similar sites throughout the city.
“There is a federal push to rebuild infrastructure, so let’s repurpose infrastructure that responds to the duality of year-round, programmatic needs for our communities and also disaster response for our residents,” said Terri Dreyer. “These centers can be staples within our communities and part of our future urban planning footprint.”
How can we thrive as a proactively resilient community both during and after disasters?
The arx rely on correcting or building upon existing systems; bridging physical or perceived disparities; activating underutilized space; and providing duality of program during stability and instability.
“We need to talk about New Orleans’ sustainability amidst climate change, rising sea levels and intense storms, and how we can repurpose infrastructure that bridges communities together and also serve as resiliency centers for weather disasters,” said Ian Dreyer.
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