1. IN THE AFTERMATH of Hurricane Katrina,
ISC launched the Gulf Coast Renewal
Project to help the devastated city of Moss
Point, Mississippi, recover from the storm.
We launched the project in response to
the National Conference of Black Mayors,
which requested help for smaller towns
along the coast. Moss Point, a city of 16,000
people, a majority of whom are African
American, suffered extensive damage to
its historic downtown and damage to 80
percent of its homes.
Mayor Xavier Bishop, elected in Moss
Point only six weeks before Hurricane Ka-
trina slammed into the the coast, watched
from his office at City Hall as floodwa-
ter swirled into the downtown district.
When it started to engulf his desk in the
midst of the storm, he pushed through the
front door despite the pressing water and
headed for higher ground.
In the days that followed, the full impact
of the storm became starkly clear. Homes,
businesses and neighborhoods were de-
stroyed and the entire downtown area was
washed out in the storm. As the poorest
town on the Gulf Coast, and already strug-
gling from the consequences of losing ma-
jor industries in the last few years, the city
had lost significant jobs and revenue before
the storm. Its two poorest neighborhoods,
Kreole and Escatawpa, were also the most
damaged by Katrina.
Since Katrina, however, many community
members have realized that the disaster
has afforded Moss Point an opportunity
to emerge stronger than it was before the
storm. One called an “industrial city”,
Moss Point residents are now looking to
reinvent themselves as a “World Class
River City” that invites tourists in to
experience its breathtaking wetlands, that
centers around a vibrant downtown, that
engages all of its residents in making deci-
sions affecting community life.
The immediate outpouring of assistance
after the hurricane helped many residents
begin to put their lives back together.
However, unlike the larger cities on the
coast, local leaders had little access to
ongoing outside help to deal with the
huge challenge of rebuilding the commu-
nity, channeling public and private funds
to where they would do the most good,
engaging citizens in shaping rebuilding ef-
forts, and addressing the long-term prob-
lems magnified by the disaster.
With this in mind, ISC offered to help
elected officials, local nonprofits, and
community leaders get the tools and
skills they need to manage the massive
rebuilding process and transform their city
into a sustainable, thriving community.
As the city rebuilds from the storm—an
estimated ten to twelve year project—
At the Institute for
Sustainable Communities,
we give passionate,
committed people the
tools, skills, and resources
they need to make their
communities better places
to live.
Since our founding in 1991
by former Vermont Governor
Madeleine M. Kunin, ISC
has led 72 transformative
community-driven projects
in 20 countries around the
world.
HEADQUARTERS
535 Stone Cutters Way
Montpelier, VT 05602
T 802-229-2900
F 802-229-2919
WASHINGTON DC
888 17th Street, NW
Suite 610
Washington, DC 20006
T 202-777-7557
Turning Crisis to Opportunity
Results from Moss Point, Mississippi

2. Results
All new municipal buildings are now•
required to be LEED-certified.
Smart Growth concepts are being•
broadly integrated in the city’s com-
prehensive planning processes.
Reconstruction aid has been directed•
according to community-defined sus-
tainability goals. instead of repeating
past development mistakes.
With ISC’s assistance, the city won•
Main Street designation, paving the
way for new investments, partner-
ships and recognition focused on
historical preservation.
Housing, planning, and design ser-•
vices are accessible to the community
since ISC helped two resource orga-
nizations relocate to Moss Point (in a
formerly empty historic building).
Residents are now actively participat-•
ing in day-to-day decision-making
as a result of ISC’s civic engagement
efforts.
A range of new private and public re-•
sources are flowing into a previously
under-resourced city.
Underserved groups are gaining ac-•
cess to community planning resources
through such efforts as a series of
workshops and exhibits related to
strengthening Moss Point as an eco-
logical city.
Real progress has been made in•
reversing longstanding apathy in the
community and in bridging social,
racial, and economic divides.
ISC is now working with communi-•
ties across the Gulf Coast—including
Moss Point—to help them share
resources and solutions through the
Sustainable Communities Network.
Mayor Bishop says his life has become
like the movie Groundhog Day. “It just
seems to be one continuous effort to
recover from the storm, and that process
gets repeated day after day.”
How We’ve Helped
ISC is helping expand the community’s
capacity to take on this challenge—to
build a stronger, more sustainable, and
inclusive Moss Point.
ISC managed a team of experts and•
partners to provide targeted tech-
nical assistance to city officials on
sustainable community planning and
design, city management and leader-
ship, civic engagement, and econom-
ic development.
We helped Moss Point officials imple-•
ment an unprecedented city-wide
outreach process in which they
solicited each ward for public input
on plans for a new waterfront down-
town.
To address a void in civic capac-•
ity, ISC helped found and nurture a
grassroots sustainability nonprofit
and gave two existing housing and
development nonprofits extensive
training that has helped them to
become more effective community
partners.
ISC worked with the mayor to launch•
a Task Force on Affordable Housing
and a Task Force on Downtown Re-
development, which actively partici-
pate with city officials on redevelop-
ment projects.
ISC helped city officials craft a new•
vision for their city that places a
strong emphasis on sustainability.
ISC organized a study tour to Char-•
lottesville, Virginia for 30 govern-
ment and community leaders who
gained a strong sense of community
spirit and learned about best prac-
tices in smart growth, neighborhood
revitalization, community design,
city management, and public-private
partnerships.
Spring 2009
“Forging partnerships
with groups like
the Institute
for Sustainable
Communities was key.
They are experts
in not only
environmental
management but also
leadership training.”
— Mayor Xavier Bishop,
O Magazine, April 2009
v1(3-09)