Gulf Coast New Urbanism and the Katrina Cottage - USA Today

USA Today’s Larry Copeland tells us that many coastal Mississippi towns are rebuilding their communities with new urbanist principles in mind. But not all towns are jumping on the bandwagon. Towns like Biloxi seem weary of recent efforts to create walkable communities with widespread access to shops and offices, a new concept for a region previously designed for the automobile. Nevertheless, new urbanists are working with public officials and companies like Lowe’s to offer residents vibrant permanent housing alternatives to the temporary government trailer.

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Gulf Coast taking a look at 'new urbanism'

By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY

….Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran says she was quick to embrace new urbanism because her city already cherishes its principles. "It's the old urbanism to which we aspire," she says. "The new urbanism is recreating the old urbanism, and Ocean Springs is a prime example of that."

The landscape

None of the Katrina-hit coastal communities has adopted the model zoning ordinance that guides new urbanist development.
Biloxi, a casino gambling mecca, has rejected such zoning for its hardest-hit areas. The 10 other cities — Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis, D'Iberville, Gautier, Gulfport, Long Beach, Moss Point, Pascagoula, Pass Christian and Waveland — are either moving toward implementing the zoning or considering it, according to state officials.

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