Community Elevation Project

Imagining what an attractive elevated home can look like is a challenge to many homeowners contemplating or actually beginning the house elevation process. UNO-CHART has developed a neighborhood-based map to offer New Orleans residents, community leaders, and others an opportunity to visualize home elevation options. Homeowners can see how others have elevated, including homeowners in their own neighborhood.

Some homeowners may not be sure they want to elevate their homes at all, others may have made the decision to elevate but do not know exactly what they envision for their home's appearance once elevated. UNO-CHART hopes this electronic array of elevated homes will help with the decision-making process. Click the Neighborhood Map tab on the left to see examples of elevated homes in the different New Orleans neighborhoods.

The map shows a variety of elevated homes raised to all heights of elevation, whether it be the height for Flood Insurance/building ordinance requirements or much higher. It shows many different kinds of first floor treatments, that is, ways of covering or utilizing the space between the house and the ground. How the  space is handled often depends on the height of the elevation. Lattice work and masonry are common for more moderate elevations. Shutters and recessed shaded areas appear in some of the higher houses.

The map shows houses representing owners of different income levels and houses in different states of repair. It features houses that were elevated long before Hurricane Katrina and houses that have been elevated since then. Some photos feature attractive landscaping, others point to the potential for landscaping. Architectural features, such as staircases, banisters, porches, and detailed exterior design work are highlighted wherever they occur. UNO-CHART hopes that through discussion and illustration of home elevation, communities will view mitigation and thus, enhanced safety, as attractive and desirable.

The map of elevated homes has been created by UNO-CHART's Community Elevation Conversation project team with GIS mapping assistance by Michael Wesley. It is sponsored by the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI).