{"podcast":{"title":"Develop This: Economic and Community Development","slug":"develop-this-economic-and-community-development-11879","podcast_index_feed_id":11879,"rss_url":"https://developthis.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://www.developthispodcast.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/8/a/e/68ae9ae1fe0f63fc/iTunes_Podcast_Artwork_3000x3000.jpg","author":"Dennis Fraise","episode_count":100,"summary":"Explore topics related to transformational community leadership including economic development, non-profit engagement, organizational management, and policy development. It's a candid conversation with veterans of the economic development profession along with inspiring interviews of today's thought leaders.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-08T22:17:52.823361+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/develop-this-economic-and-community-development-11879"},"episode":{"title":"DT #654 Rebuilding Better: How New Orleans Turned Disaster Into Long-Term Economic Growth","slug":"dt-654-rebuilding-better-how-new-orleans-turned-disaster-into-long-term-economic-growth","published_at":"2026-06-17T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/develop-this-economic-and-community-development-11879/dt-654-rebuilding-better-how-new-orleans-turned-disaster-into-long-term-economic-growth","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/develop-this-economic-and-community-development-11879","url":"https://developthis.libsyn.com/dt-654-rebuilding-better-how-new-orleans-turned-disaster-into-long-term-economic-growth","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/developthis/Develop_This_-_Michael_Hecht.mp3?dest-id=679584","summary":"What does it take to rebuild an economy after a disaster—and turn it into a model for long-term growth? In this episode of Develop This!, Dennis Fraise speaks with Michael Hecht , CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. , to explore lessons learned from leading economic recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. Michael shares how New Orleans approached rebuilding not just infrastructure, but its entire economic foundation—balancing urgency with long-term strategy, and recovery with reinvention. A major theme is the importance of community involvement in shaping recovery efforts. He emphasizes that post-disaster planning cannot be top-down, and that successful rebuilding requires both structure and local autonomy to respond effectively to evolving needs. The conversation also highlights how New Orleans has leveraged innovation, incentives, and workforce development to reposition itself for future growth—particularly in emerging sectors like tech and innovation. A key takeaway? Economic recovery is not just about rebuilding what was lost—it's about designing something stronger, more inclusive, and more resilient. Key Takeaways Post-disaster recovery requires both structure and local autonomy Community involvement is essential in rebuilding efforts Incentives must balance short-term recovery with long-term value Workforce development is critical to economic resilience Innovation is playing a growing role in New Orleans' economic shift Strong leadership is key to navigating complex recovery environments Key Topics Covered Post-disaster economic recovery strategies Lessons from Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 recovery efforts Community involvement in economic planning Workforce development and skills alignment Incentive design for sustainable growth Leadership approaches in cr…","meta_description":"What does it take to rebuild an economy after a disaster—and turn it into a model for long-term growth? In this episode of Develop This!, Dennis Fraise sp…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1898,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/develop-this-economic-and-community-development-11879/episodes/dt-654-rebuilding-better-how-new-orleans-turned-disaster-into-long-term-economic-growth/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/develop-this-economic-and-community-development-11879/dt-654-rebuilding-better-how-new-orleans-turned-disaster-into-long-term-economic-growth.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}