Oct. 9, 2008

Planning professor says intergovernmental cooperation and citizen participation are the keys to disaster recovery

Meghan Gough, Ph.D., researched “Post-Katrina” Mississippi

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By Mike Porter

A small group surveys the damage from hurricane Katrina in Harrison County, Miss. Leaders learned that working together can better coordinate the recovery effort. Photo by Meghan Gough.
A small group surveys the damage from hurricane Katrina in Harrison County, Miss. Leaders learned that working together can better coordinate the recovery effort. Photo by Meghan Gough.

Meghan Gough’s interest in Mississippi’s hard-hit Harrison County began almost immediately after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts in August 2005. At the time, Gough was a research assistant at Ohio State University and was pursuing her Ph.D. in city and regional planning.

She went to Mississippi as part of that university’s efforts to help Gulf Coast communities after the storm. 

Gough, now an assistant professor in urban and regional planning in VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, has returned to Mississippi a number of  times to organize and facilitate community meetings, conduct surveys, assist in the development of community and county land use plans and help residents and government groups communicate with each other. 

“There is a culture of independence along the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Goff said.  “But one of the things missing was the state wanted communities to work together but didn’t set up any framework, structure or financing to make it happen.”  

Gough led a student team in putting together a Smart Growth Resource Guide for Harrison County to aid in the county’s long-term recovery from the storm.  

Meghan Gough, right, leads a small group discussion in Harrison County, Miss., as part of that community’s ongoing efforts to recover from Hurricane Katrina. Gough says helping community members to communicate their views is important to the planning and recovery process. Photo courtesy Meghan Gough.
Meghan Gough, right, leads a small group discussion in Harrison County, Miss., as part of that community’s ongoing efforts to recover from Hurricane Katrina. Gough says helping community members to communicate their views is important to the planning and recovery process. Photo courtesy Meghan Gough.

“Collaborative leadership – the ability of local, regional and state leaders to work together – is one of the most important factors in helping an area recover from a natural disaster like Katrina,” Gough said.

Gough’s experiences in Mississippi became the focus of her dissertation, “Factors Influencing Intergovernmental Collaboration in Planning: Lesson Learned from Post-Katrina Mississippi.”

“I met with city leaders, including mayors and managers, and state, regional and local planners. I talked to them about their initial responses to the storm, how they formed relations with the state and other local communities to exchange information and expertise,” she said.

Gough says another key to recovery is giving residents the opportunity to participate in the process.

“The trick is, as a planner you may propose, but the community has to accept the plan for it to become reality. They’re more likely to do so when they’re part of the process all along. Engaging citizens and allowing them to participate in the process is critical to the success of any plan,” Gough said.

Gough continued her relationship with Harrison County, returning for a three-day visit last month. She was eager to see whether the community collaborations formed after Katrina were still intact or have broken off. 

Gough joined the VCU faculty in August. This fall, she’s teaching courses on public planning and planning theory and processing.  She’ll teach a new course about sustainable development in the spring.