This is truly an innovative and visionary project, and it is just what NOLA’s 9th Ward seems to need, genuine benefactors who will provide the 9th Ward families who want to return an achievable path to follow to make this happen. Brad has pledged 5M of his foundation’s funds, and another person has matched that pledge to get the project going. And in looking at the information available on the MIR site, the project is well underway. There is a page on the site for homeowners to go to that explains the entire process from contacting MIR to moving in to your new house, complete with contact information and links to PDF s for the application form and various other informational documentation.

If you haven’t forgotten New Orleans, and you want to join Brad to get 9th Ward families back home, please visit the MIR site and make a cash donation (I did), or choose the adopt a house option where you can buy items for a house such as linoleum floors, solar panels, washers, dryers, landscaping, or the entire house ($150K). Brad’s done all the hard work to get the land cleared and the startup funding and project infrastructure in place, now he needs us to pitch in. Show NOLA’s 9th Ward that we haven’t forgotten.

Update: 12/05/07
One of the most exciting aspects of the project is the design of the houses themselves. The houses were designed by leading architects from all over the world based on criteria and specifications that the former Lower 9th Ward residents had direct input into. The Designs page on the MIR site explains the intention of the project to be mindful of the cultural and historical traditions of the Lower 9th Ward, and the special architectural aspects that came to characterize and identify this unique neighborhood. Equally important in the drivers for the design of the homes were what MIR lists as the four main guiding principles; safety, affordability, sustainability, and high design quality.

The resultant designs (there are thirteen listed so for on the Designs page) are quite innovative and attractive. You can view each of them from the menu on the Designs page, and you can also take a virtual tour of a home from the Donation page (you don’t actually have to buy/donate anything to take the ‘tour’) which lets you view the interior of a home and to see what components are being used to build it. Below are my favorite designs. Click on a picture to go to the page with the full sized view and a link to the architects profile.

Billes Architecture Design

BNIM Architects Design

Constructs LLC Architects Design

GRAFT Architects Design