UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECURE'S LEADERSHIP IN HAITI CHARETTE
FOLLOWING DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE STRENGTHENS TIES AND LONGTERM
COMMITTMENT TO HELP REBUILD NEIGHBORING NATION IN NEED
By Steve Wright
The representatives of the Haitian government which participated in the Charrette included individuals from the Prime Minister’s Bureau of Counselors and the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE), as well as the Conseil Interministériel pour l’Aménagement du Territoire (CIAT).
"The charrette wasn't about blueprints for construction, it was more of an exercise for planning for how things should be done: showing internal coordination for medical facilities, hazardous zones, the ecosystem, roads, historic settings and more," Mangones said. "Everybody is very certain that decentralization is key to future of Haiti. This is an opportunity to push for decentralization, then provide self-sustainable villages."
The School of Architecture as a long history of responding to natural disasters, such as the rebuilding of south Miami-Dade County following the devastating Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Days after the quake in Haiti, Adjunct Professor Andres Duany traveled to Port-au-Prince in the
company of Dr. Green. Duany met with then Haitian President Jacques Preval and others in his cabinet and later toured the city, returning to Miami with a clearer understanding of how UM could be helpful in defining the coming rebuilding phase.
The resulting Haiti Charrette’s projects focused attention on the following categories: Impact within the Community; Sustainability; Land Use; Public/Private Cooperation. The 200-page charrette report, enhanced by hundreds of vivid drawings and photographs, was broken down into two sections: one focused on general analysis and recommendations and a second on case studies.
Wright has contributed thousands of stories about town planning, architecture, urban recovery and transportation. Contact the Miami-based writer-photographer at stevewright64@yahoo.com
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