Written by Jeff Hébert, CEO

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in New Orleans, forever changing the city, the Gulf Coast region, and how we think about disaster response.

So many of us from Louisiana knew we had to go home. We had no real plan, just the certainty that we needed to be there. In those early days after the storm, our world narrowed to what was right in front of us — our families, our neighbors, and our immediate community. New Orleans was heavy with grief and uncertainty. Relief systems were inadequate and overwhelmed.

Yet in the middle of that chaos, something else emerged: human resolve. Residents became rescuers, teachers became community leaders, and strangers became family.

Days turned into years, and many of us, myself included, ended up dedicating our careers to the long-term recovery of New Orleans and helping other communities prepare and respond to disaster.

I’m proud that HR&A and so many of you in our extended community continue to support New Orleans in building a more equitable and resilient city.

After two decades and countless other catastrophic events in communities around the country, we’ve learned that true recovery isn’t about getting back to how things were. It’s about building something better for the people who call that place home.

The lessons from Hurricane Katrina are universal and should continue to shape our response to every community facing the unthinkable:

• • Preparedness is everything. Waiting for disaster to strike is too late. Proactive resilience must be built into infrastructure, planning, and leadership.
  • • Listen to communities. Locals know what they need. If recovery doesn’t involve them, it fails them.
    • • Leadership requires humility and decisiveness. You can’t have all the answers, but you must be willing to act and demonstrate progress.
      • • Disasters expose inequity. The levee breaks didn’t just flood a city, they revealed systemic cracks we couldn’t afford to ignore.
        • • The bonds between people are the strongest foundation. Again and again, people show up and find a way to fill the gap where resources fall short. But long-term resilience requires proper support.

           

          As we mark this anniversary, let’s not only remember what was lost, but recommit to the work that remains. There are hard lessons that still haven’t been learned. Let’s also take a moment to reflect on what Katrina and subsequent events have exposed about who gets left behind and what it will take to ensure every community has the chance to not just survive, but thrive.

HR&A Partner Amitabh Barthakur will join industry leaders at the AIA Las Vegas Placemaking Summit — Momentum: Where Change Takes Shape.

This year’s summit will bring together developers, planners, architects, policymakers, and community leaders to explore innovative, sustainable, and resilient approaches to shaping vibrant, livable communities.

Amitabh will speak in Session 5, focusing on Transit-Oriented Development. He will explore innovative funding and financing solutions as well as transit’s role in building connected, livable cities.

Learn More!

Congratulations to the grocery project leaders in Venice, Champaign, Roodhouse, Marion, Aledo, Rockford, and Galesburg on securing $10 million in funding through the Illinois Grocery Initiative! These grants will help combat food deserts across the state by supporting the construction and renovation of new grocery stores, as well as covering many first-year operational costs.

HR&A is proud to have supported the Venice Revitalization Project in preparing their successful grant application. We’re excited to see how a municipally-owned grocery store can expand access to affordable, healthy food for the residents of Venice!

Learn more about the Illinois Grocery Initiative.

“The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the Forward Together Action Plan, a community-engaged initiative that outlines priorities aimed at enhancing the quality of life and fostering economic growth opportunities for residents and businesses along the Marysville-Del Paso Boulevard corridor.”

Read more about our work supporting the Marysville-Del Paso Blvd Plan in this article from the Sacramento City Express.

The Design Trust for Public Space, established in 1995, has been a transformative force in unlocking the potential of New York City’s public spaces. The non-profit organization is a nationally-recognized incubator that works closely with design professionals, community organizations, and city agencies to reshape the landscape of all five boroughs—from parks and plazas to streets and public buildings.

Congratulations to HR&A Principal Thomas Jansen on being named the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the organization. We look forward to the Design Trust’s continued impact on New York City and Thomas’s contributions to the organization’s mission in this new role.

In 2024, we worked on projects across nearly 200 communities in the US and abroad. Here are just a few examples of our recent work in action. 

We helped state broadband offices secure federal funding that gives people the skills they need to effectively use the Internet.

We celebrated the creation of over 20k affordable homes since the launch of the Amazon Equity Fund and convened in Seattle to celebrate an additional $1.4b in funding to support thousands of additional units.

We hosted foster youth leaders in our New York office, where they presented to Councilmember Rita Joseph, the Administration for Children’s Services Commission, and philanthropic leaders. We’re working with Youth Advisory Board, The Center for Fair Futures, Children’s Village, and Good River Partners on a report set for release this year, about how to finance housing, at scale, for young people aging out of the foster system.

All in Allegheny

Since taking office early last year, we helped Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato engage 19,000 residents to understand their priorities. Just six months later, the administration has delivered on 91% of the community’s action items within the All In Allegheny Action Plan, addressing issues such as housing affordability, expanding voting access, and enhancing health-focused crisis response.

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Across the country, we’re helping reimagine the future of city business districts, including Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, and more. After working with the City of Boston to launch their Office to Residential Conversion Program, Mayor Michelle Wu and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced an extension to the program along with $15 million in funding to incentivize converting large-scale office buildings into housing.

Downtown Detroit Partnership

We’re working with the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) to shape an alternative vision for the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) I-375 project, which aims to transform a one-mile freeway into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard, restoring connections in the heart of Detroit.

Carlos Horton

HR&A supported the revitalization of Ciudad Colonial in Santo Domingo and helped reimagine two iconic cultural landmarks — the Convento de San Francisco and Mercado Modelo. The project aimed to preserve the district’s historic significance while fostering economic growth and community engagement.

Creatives New York

“New York Isn’t New York Without Artists” is a policy playbook we created for Creatives Rebuild New York which outlines key steps for New York State and local governments to support artists and creative workers, who are vital to the state’s $144 billion cultural sector.

Sergey Novikov

We’re working with the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to develop an implementation program framework that will guide design development for the New Pennsylvania Avenue Plan.

BIG

We’re helping transform Connecticut’s Manresa Island from an abandoned industrial site into a 125-acre public park and community hub.

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HR&A is supporting the City and County of Honolulu to assess climate-related financial risks and define strategies for funding and budgeting vital adaptation measures. As climate hazards like coastal erosion, flooding, and hurricanes become more frequent and severe, this initiative marks a significant opportunity for Honolulu to safeguard its future by investing in resilient infrastructure and long-term solutions.

It is with great sadness that we share the news that HR&A Partner Kate Coburn passed away last week.

During her 14-year tenure at HR&A, Kate helped elevate our brand as one of the most trusted advisors in the industry, provided strategic guidance to countless clients about how to better serve their communities, and shaped a supportive company culture by bringing a sense of care to every interaction with her colleagues. With her deep commitment to mentorship and teaching, Kate’s legacy lives on in the many lives and careers she helped shape and support across HR&A and our extended community.

“HR&A wouldn’t be the place it is today without Kate’s contributions,” said CEO Jeff Hébert, “Kate created new pathways for women in the real estate industry, and she brought others along with her by mentoring the next generation and inspiring excellence in all she did. She was known for the passion she brought to her work as she helped shape consequential projects from New York City to Birmingham. Her characteristic spirit and zeal will be sorely missed by her colleagues and clients.”

Kate was a fearless trailblazer in our industry for over 30 years. Prior to HR&A, she was a leader at AECOM, Economics Research Associates (ERA), Cushman & Wakefield, and Rockefeller Center. Her legacy revitalizing downtowns and creating vibrant places is on display across cities in Alabama, California, Louisiana, New York, Texas and beyond. She also inspired and guided generations of real estate leaders across organizations such as Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX), Public-Private Real Estate Professionals (P/PREP), and the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association.

To honor Kate’s legacy and her commitment to mentorship, HR&A is creating the “Kate Coburn Internship for Emerging Professionals in Real Estate” to help emerging professionals launch their real estate careers. Since the news of her passing, we have heard countless stories about Kate’s impact on the careers of so many across the HR&A extended network, and we can think of no better way to keep her spirit alive and continue her work supporting the next generation of real estate leaders and changemakers.

Kate leaves behind a loving family and expansive network of friends, collaborators, and colleagues. HR&A and Kate’s family recommend contributing to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation if you are interested in donating in Kate’s honor.