I could give two shits about Brad Pitt, but give me a break! Sorry the structures are not "esthetically pleasing" to some armchair architect who probably bid on the job and lost out because it wasn't green, practical or efficient. Pitt may not have the most pleasantly appealing taste when it comes to having things built, but you gotta admit, houses on stilts? Genius.
@kookla: Houses on stilts are a south Louisiana staple... along the bayous, you see tons of them (when I was younger, I lived in one raised house that was over 100 years old).
In fact! My entire family still lives along the bayous, and they all -had- to raise their houses in order to keep their home insurance. (Another post-hurricane gripe: The Road Home program was supposed to fund all these house raisings, and went bankrupt before they could pay out, leaving hundreds without the funds to save their homes / insurance policies.)
@kookla: This was my exact reaction. He's trying to do something good for a cause he cares about - celebrity or not, no one deserves to have that thrown in their face over 'aesthetics,' and in light of Vee's post about how much of a staple houses on stilts are, the comment makes even less sense.
I lurve the item quoting Britney as having "banished" her manager-manfriend from Australia. It just reminds me of Romeo and Juliet--"Thou art banished!" teehee.
Meryl Streep, I love you. That quote sums up much of why, apart from your talent.
I have to say, I am not surprised about Perez Hilton's revelation about Drew Barrymore's lack of sobriety. Although PH is ridiculous, he is backstage and behind the scenes at a lot of these events. Plus, there have been rumors of her drinking and getting too drunk to do certain appearances the next day. Quite frankly, I'm shocked she drinks at all. My understanding of alcoholism is that you shouldn't drink at all...and I've seen interviews where she admits to recent drinking (albeit not to excess). I specifically recall her telling a story about drinking while promoting "Whip It," and found it strange that she would still do that...so, yea, not surprised.
I'm not saying that I want Michael Lohan to kill himself, but I would really like it if he stopped existing as we know him. Maybe a serious bout of amnesia that changes his entire personality. I'm just tired of him douchin' up the joint.
Must be nice to be able to set aside time to go to the gym every single day, Claire Danes. Also, I automatically dislike people who claim to 'never' watch TV (except while at the gym, please). So, that quote essentially made me hate you.
@JinxyMcDeath: I always feel there is a little 'holier-than-thou' attitude when a person says they don't watch a lot of tv. There are some very quality shows out there, there is nothing wrong with appreciating them.
@Elaken: @KatyLou: I once went on a date with a European dude who didn't own a television because he thought American television was crappy. Um, first of all, you moved here because he thought America was awesome. If you think our culture sucks so bad, you don't have to stay (he's from Europe, not some war-torn nation). Second of all, I watch a good amount of TV because I work ALOT and so I want to veg out. I also read ALOT. I don't watch TV in bed, so its not like I'm some idiot TV-head. He was all judgey and you can tell totally turned off by the fact that I enjoyed television. Well, that was fine, because when he told me that when he's home he either reads or listens to jazz music, I knew the date was over.
@JinxyMcDeath: Eh, I don't have a tv--well, I do, but it's in the basement because I'm too poor to have cable. And there's nowhere to put it in our apartment. So I watch tv online, but when I belonged to a gym for a while it was fucking awesome to go and watch tv. I used to watch project runway and stuff like that, and it was the only thing that got me to do cardio. My gym was amazing--all women, and each cardio machine had its own small flat-screen TV. With cable! Amazing! I totally miss it.
@Elaken: I don't watch a lot of TV, but that's because I watch all my shows on the internet =P. So I get to be all pretentious and claim I don't watch TV while secretly getting in all my Project Runway love.
@Chrysocolla: Haha, yah me too, I love the internet. My tv is never turned on. I went through about a year period where I never watched tv shows at all because I only got one channel with my bunny ears and I hadn't realized they were available online (I am slow on the uptake sometimes). But I still don't say how I never watch tv. That statement just seems judgy to me. It could also be that I don't care for her all that much. Patrick Stewart making that statement and I'd probably nod along thinking 'yes, you are above all that.'
I wish I had the power to banish people from the country I happen to be spending time in. I BANISH THEE, STUPID CHEATING EX BOYFRIEND, FROM THE UNITED STATES!
It's more important that the "Make it Right" homes are structurally sound. I understand aesthetics are important, but giving people affordable housing is a bit more so.
The houses are so avant garde that they are changing the look of New Orleans, which some people object to. They are also pretty slow to build, which is too bad since they are being priced on a sliding scale and are affordable for people who might otherwise be unable to buy a home. Plus, there are so far no commercial spaces being developed so no grocery stores.
It seems like an architectural project first and a disaster relief program second. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it is a little Howard Roark.
@clevernamehere: I don't think it's Brad Pitt's duty to build commercial properties, too. The look of New Orleans is changed forever - thanks to Katrina and George W. Bush.
It's easy to complain - but at least Pitt is doing SOMETHING, which is more than most. I consider it an utter failure on the part of this country that we have failed New Orleans, on the eve of escalating war in Afghanistan.
@PaintedTrollop: It isn't Brad Pitt's responsibility to do anything, but the lack of commercial space is a pretty big problem when the housing is meant for lower income folks without cars. It is also pretty un-eco friendly to have no shopping within walking distance.
@clevernamehere: It sounds to me as though you're still trying to blame Pitt.
I've been homeless. I squatted for a time in an abandoned building, at one point when I was younger. This project gives people homes. There is nothing more important than having the security of a place to live to call your own.
Movies are not important, and neither is celebrity. This project, on the other hand, is incredibly important.
@PaintedTrollop: My point is that the project could be better and it is unfortune it isn't better. The NYT article says they could have built far more houses if they weren't so focused on the design, but design seems to be the #1 priority.
@clevernamehere:
I'm willing to cut the guy some slack. He's putting roofs over heads. Criticizing someone for doing something in a place where nothing is getting done is more elitist than I'm willing to be.
@clevernamehere: I'm an architect and have followed this project extensively, including traveling to visit and tour the homes. The reason the homes take so long is because of "design", yes, but it's not because of the aesthetics -- it's because part of the point of the project is to provide a way to experiment with *construction techniques* and come up with a new way to build homes that will provide lasting long-term benefit to the entire region, by example. This includes experimentation in extremely innovative mechanical design systems that provide natural cooling in a very hot, swampy environment, and innovation in structural design that allows for much less material usage and yet stronger buildings that are more able to withstand hurricane winds and the forces of storm surges. On top of all that, the contractors and design team are constantly experimenting with ways to cut cost and yet maintain quality, so that each home has been cheaper to build than the previous home. All of this thought and effort takes a lot of time. Sure, you could build the same old houses that were there before, and let people move in ASAP, but then you'd have to watch them all blow / float away again in the next bad hurricane and no one will have learned anything.
You also have to realize that they are limited to building (so far) only on properties where the owners can prove ownership. In NOLA, this is tough to do (due to cultural practices and poverty). The people they are building the houses for have to put up a (small) amount of money, as well as attend classes on home maintenance and personal finance. They are highly involved in the design process and collaborate to customize the design they select. All of this takes time and thoughtfulness. It's a fantastic process and I encourage everyone to learn more about it, because I have been a student of housing programs for a long time and was extremely impressed by the long-term positive change they are paving the way for. I've never seen anything like this project, it's amazing.
For example, there's some unclaimed land in the neighborhood that they can't build on, but since the grass grows so well there, they are bringing in a herd of goats and will hire a neighborhood goat herder to tend them, hopefully with a view to making cheese in the future. They are repaving all the roads with permeable asphalt. They are making all kinds of permanent changes and the people moving back in are psyched.
It takes *time* to plan to do things right. The people I met in the neighborhood seemed patient.
@clevernamehere: In NO the "commercial space" tends to grow organically within the fabric of the residential neighborhoods themselves. In the 9th ward, for example, most of the shops are either little convenience stores carved out of the corners of the 1st floor of someone's house, or someone else opens up a barbershop or a sandwich counter in their front room, etcetera. In fact a LOT of NO is like this.
The Make It Right houses are being built only on locations where there was previously a house, in conjunction (and with the full participation of) the previous homeowner. So, Brad Pitt would have to go buy some other random lot and then try to build, on spec, an empty commercial building and then entice a Trader Joe's or what-have-you to move into it. That's the way most "urban development" is done, and sometimes it works, often it doesn't--usually it fails in poor neighborhoods where it only causes gentrification rather than contribute to the existing cultural practices. The purpose of Make It Right is to work with the existing population, and help facilitate their re-growing of their own neighborhood -- not to step in and attempt to plunk down a fully-formed neighborhood on them, all at once.
Does that help it make more sense? They're specifically trying to avoid a lot of the bad urban practices that have done nothing in the past but encourage gentrification and force out existing communities.
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In fact! My entire family still lives along the bayous, and they all -had- to raise their houses in order to keep their home insurance. (Another post-hurricane gripe: The Road Home program was supposed to fund all these house raisings, and went bankrupt before they could pay out, leaving hundreds without the funds to save their homes / insurance policies.)
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Meryl Streep, I love you. That quote sums up much of why, apart from your talent.
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So I totally understand, Angela.
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The houses are so avant garde that they are changing the look of New Orleans, which some people object to. They are also pretty slow to build, which is too bad since they are being priced on a sliding scale and are affordable for people who might otherwise be unable to buy a home. Plus, there are so far no commercial spaces being developed so no grocery stores.
It seems like an architectural project first and a disaster relief program second. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it is a little Howard Roark.
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It's easy to complain - but at least Pitt is doing SOMETHING, which is more than most. I consider it an utter failure on the part of this country that we have failed New Orleans, on the eve of escalating war in Afghanistan.
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I've been homeless. I squatted for a time in an abandoned building, at one point when I was younger. This project gives people homes. There is nothing more important than having the security of a place to live to call your own.
Movies are not important, and neither is celebrity. This project, on the other hand, is incredibly important.
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I'm willing to cut the guy some slack. He's putting roofs over heads. Criticizing someone for doing something in a place where nothing is getting done is more elitist than I'm willing to be.
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You also have to realize that they are limited to building (so far) only on properties where the owners can prove ownership. In NOLA, this is tough to do (due to cultural practices and poverty). The people they are building the houses for have to put up a (small) amount of money, as well as attend classes on home maintenance and personal finance. They are highly involved in the design process and collaborate to customize the design they select. All of this takes time and thoughtfulness. It's a fantastic process and I encourage everyone to learn more about it, because I have been a student of housing programs for a long time and was extremely impressed by the long-term positive change they are paving the way for. I've never seen anything like this project, it's amazing.
For example, there's some unclaimed land in the neighborhood that they can't build on, but since the grass grows so well there, they are bringing in a herd of goats and will hire a neighborhood goat herder to tend them, hopefully with a view to making cheese in the future. They are repaving all the roads with permeable asphalt. They are making all kinds of permanent changes and the people moving back in are psyched.
It takes *time* to plan to do things right. The people I met in the neighborhood seemed patient.
11/30/09
The Make It Right houses are being built only on locations where there was previously a house, in conjunction (and with the full participation of) the previous homeowner. So, Brad Pitt would have to go buy some other random lot and then try to build, on spec, an empty commercial building and then entice a Trader Joe's or what-have-you to move into it. That's the way most "urban development" is done, and sometimes it works, often it doesn't--usually it fails in poor neighborhoods where it only causes gentrification rather than contribute to the existing cultural practices. The purpose of Make It Right is to work with the existing population, and help facilitate their re-growing of their own neighborhood -- not to step in and attempt to plunk down a fully-formed neighborhood on them, all at once.
Does that help it make more sense? They're specifically trying to avoid a lot of the bad urban practices that have done nothing in the past but encourage gentrification and force out existing communities.