From Biloxi

Last night I arrived in Biloxi to kick off a week long volunteer blitz build to finish three of Architecture for Humanity's case study houses. The one of most conversation was designed by AIA-MN convention keynote Marlon Blackwell. Dubbed the porchdog, it's become the capstone on a program that has broadened the design possibilities for housing along the coast.

East Biloxi, a neighborhood completely wiped off the map, is now 1/3 rebuilt. It's a very impressive number, considering the nearly deserted towns along the coast like Pass Cristian and Waveland. However, it's still just 1/3 and building activity is definitely slowing down. Katrina relief has turned into Katrina fatigue down here. And the fatigue has bled into every non-profit organization, every funding source, and every city department.

So, after the builder stopped working on the porchdog for a little over three months, and we made the decision to try and organize a volunteer week long build, I was skeptical. However, within a couple days, we had complimentary housing at a local hotel and over a dozen experienced volunteers signed up.