Make It Right

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in August of 2005. While 80% of the city was evacuated – the most successful evacuation of a city in modern times – those who stayed behind were not so lucky. Many parts of the city were flooded and eviscerated, leaving many dead and everyone else stranded with little food, shelter or support from the outside world.

Chaos reigned for many days.

And still today, these marks of Katrina are everywhere. Houses are still spray painted with the ‘house searched/date/number of bodies’ mark, many are abandoned or deemed uninhabitable. Some folks are even living in these ramshackle houses. New Orleans is still recovering a half decade later, and progress is slow as many residents never came back to rebuild afterwards.

Brad Pitt had spent time in New Orleans for several movies, and had developed a deep love for his adopted city. After witnessing how slow the rebuilding was going two years after the storm, especially in Lower Ninth Ward where 4,000 homes were destroyed, he took action.

The Make It Right Foundation was the result of his efforts, and so far has built 19 homes with 14 more under construction. This is a far cry from the 150 that they plan to build, but marks a significant success in rehabilitating this lost neighborhood. Each of the homes is individualistic and eco-friendly, creating an eerie juxtaposition between remaining house and their newer, and higher counterparts.

Architects from around the world have contributed designs, donations have poured in to help fuel this rebirth, and many hours are spent working towards Make It Right’s goal. Already, the neighborhood is heralded as the largest, greenest neighborhood of single family homes in America by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“These homes have exceeded my expectations,” Brad Pitt recently told CNN. And indeed, they are marvelous instances of contemporary angles, vivid colors, and unusual combinations of materials. They are shining lights amidst the darkness, and are a wonderful portent of green things to come.

And while Make It Right is focused on getting these 150 homes completed, what they have achieved is not lost on them. Cesar Rodriguez, who works for Make It Right: “Most importantly, [the architects] got to know our community. They talked to people and then went back to their offices to design. If you look at our houses, they are similar to what was here before. Each and every one of the houses you see are what the owners selected. Everything was their decision. What we focus on is the structural integrity of the home, providing a selection of materials and managing the entire construction process.” Cesar is a passionate spokesperson, and his Make It Right title reveals how farsighted the organization is: Product Coordinator.

It’s impossible to not be inspired by what’s going on in the Lower Ninth Ward. Hearing stories like Make It Right homeowner Mr. Green, who lost his mother and his grandchild during the storm, you begin to realize the depths of pain that have become a well of hope for this reinvigorated neighborhood. It’s easy to forget that Make It Right is a non-profit, because they are just as passionate about the people they are creating as the products they are unleashing into the world.

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