UNO in the News 5.13.2009
On Saturday, May 16, Gentilly residents who attend a Beacon of Hope workshop will have the use of updated, state-of-the-art maps, thanks to the Beacon of Hope/University of New Orleans Community Recovery Project (BUCRP), a partnership between the Beacon of Hope Resource Center and the UNO Department of Planning and Urban Studies.
The maps produced using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology integrate survey data and images along with parcel information to provide residents, government agencies, neighborhood planners and prospective investors with the status of property recovery and return rates.
"BUCRP maps include site-specific data for Louisiana Land Trust (Road Home) properties and the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) Lot Next Door program," explained Michelle M. Thompson, UNO assistant professor of planning and urban studies.
"The GIS mapping project, provided as a community service through the BUCRP partnership, has a commercial value in excess of $200,000," Thompson said.
The neighborhood maps will be updated quarterly as consecutive neighborhood 'Block Captain' surveys are completed, said UNO graduate student Brian Baldwin. "they provide residents with a clear picture of the community's progress."
"At the workshop on Saturday, Gentilly residents will learn to use the maps as a resource to track and work toward eliminating blighted properties," said Tina Marquardt of the Beacon of Hope Resource Center. "Community volunteers will also learn more about the NORA and Road Home properties, neighborhood beautification and volunteer coordination," she said.
The GIS maps are accessible thorugh the BUCRP Web site at http://planning.uno.edu/BUCRP/. For more information or to register for the Gentilly workshop, visit www.lakewoodbeacon.org/ or call the Beacon of Hope at (504) 309-5120 or St. Paul's Homecoming Center at (504) 644-4125.
There is an article on the Cornell University website about students from the university coming down to help BUCRP with the recovery of New Orleans. Thanks so much everyone!
Cornell University Students Spend Spring Break Helping Lakeview Residents
Students from Cornell University have travelled down to New Orleans to assist in the continuing recovery during their spring break. By walking through neigborhoods to photograph and document the conditions of ho
uses and lots in Lakeview, these students are gaining first hand knowledge of the continuing rebuilding effort that is taking place across the city. The data that the students are helping to collect is being compiled with information for all of Lakeview to provide some of the most up to date indicators of the continued redevelopment of our city. Eventually, these photographs and survey indicators will be compiled in a geographic information system (GIS), that will allow residents to visualize the progress of their neighborhood. Much like Google Maps, this system will be able to show residents exactly how far they have come, and what areas need more help.
Two Times-Picayune Articles Featuring BOH
Please look through the following news stories that were featured in the Times-Picayune.
Beacon of Hope Lights a New Area
Beacon of Hope Set to Shine in Gentilly
Limitless Vistas
In the Fall of 2008, the BUCRP expanded community survey and GIS training beyond the residents to the Limitless Vistas International (LVI)and BFA Environmental which is a national environmental workforce training program. Yo
uth from the program have been provided training on survey methods, project management, database maintenance, image storage through the use of web-based technology and report writing.
5.15.2009
University of New Orleans news story! Check out the story on the UNO site or our own 'News' section
5.6.2009
'Maps' section added to the website which contains a selection of the maps that BUCRP has produced thus far!
5.4.2009
There is also a story in the 'News' section about Cornell students helping BUCRP with the recovery.
4.1.2009
New pictures added to the pictures section.
3.19.2009
Students from Cornell University are visiting to help complete residential surveys in the Lakeview neigborhood.Thanks so much for all the help! Visit the 'News' section to learn more.
2.9.2009
Training has started for a new group of Limitless Vistas (see photos and news page) and BOH was recently featured in the Times-Picayune! (news)
1.15.2009
Undergraduates from Cornell University stopped in to look at some of the progress BURCP has made in the Gentilly neighborhood and learned the importance of community GIS in the recovery process.
BUCRP | Beacon of Hope/University of New Orleans Community Recovery Project copyright 2009.
web design courtesy: Brian James Baldwin and www.NewOrleansGIS.com
