Research initiative bringing together applied research from a variety of disciplines, including economics, planning, finance, architecture, and engineering in researching housing affordability problems exist in the Boston metropolitan area.
"... in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, some architects and urban planners are contemplating the larger question of what form the city should take - whether restored, reimagined or something in between."
Suggestion for using Christopher Alexander's concept of a "Pattern Language" in a wiki-like way to encourage participatory revision of rebuilding plans toward a consensus view or vision.