Tulane University architecture student Mark Heck said flooding was always a problem just outside of New Orleans, where he grew up.
But when Hurricane Katrina hit in September, destroying levees, flooding the city and forcing Heck and his family to evacuate to San Antonio, it was a different story.
"We got there [San Antonio] and looked at the TV and saw everything that I knew was basically gone," he said.
That is why Heck and his 37 classmates from Tulane spent a semester at ASU working on a thesis project to rebuild New Orleans and protect the city from future damage. They presented the work in progress to students and faculty Wednesday night.
The group chose four districts in the city to focus rebuilding efforts -- Desire, Bywater, Florida and Ninth Ward -- all low-income and highly flooded communities, said Cordula Roser, a Tulane faculty member.
"We want to bring awareness and improve the situation," Roser said.
The students' proposal for a new and safer New Orleans addressed issues of how to build a relationship between the natural and industrial environments, who will return to the city, how to invest in neighborhood development and how to fix problems that existed before Katrina.
Ross Karsen, a sixth-year Tulane student involved in the project, said the group is building models that would emphasize housing on the waterfront, which does not flood easily, and stack housing vertically.
"This is not a common move in New Orleans," he said.
One of the group's main questions was how to accomplish all this without threatening the city's cultural environment.
"Historically, it was such a rich and slow process that makes the city so enjoyable," Karsen said.
Byron Mouton, director of the thesis, said the students hope the project will contribute to the city.
"This information will cradle dialogue back home," Mouton said.
The Tulane architecture fifth-year program came to ASU after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans so the students would be able to graduate on time, Mouton said.
Wellington "Duke" Reiter, dean of ASU's College of Design, initiated the move.
Reiter received his undergraduate degree from Tulane, then went on to Harvard University, where he built a model of New Orleans that showed problems in the city's design should its levees break, said Julie Russ, communication manager for the college.
Within two weeks of the hurricane hitting, volunteers from ASU found the students housing, provided them with studio space behind the ASU Foundation building and had computers, desks and lights donated to them, she said.
"They're not always the best, but they were great to use for what the students needed," she added.
While the Tulane visitors appreciated the accommodations, Roser said the group was eager to take their project back to New Orleans.
"We want to allow them to reconnect to the city on every possible level," Roser said.
Reach the reporter at tara.brite@asu.edu.
