7

Sunday

“Raise the house? Raze the house?” The refrain reverberates through flood-ruined New Orleans as residents struggle to determine their next steps. ’Course, it’s hard for anyone to make personal choices when there’s no clear official vision for the future of the city. In “Newer Orleans—A Shared Space,” a current exhibit at the National Building Museum, six architectural firms—three Dutch, three American—explore symbolic and creative ways to help the city rise from trauma in its rebuilding. Asked to envision a new school in a poverty-ridden neighborhood, a restored City Park, and a monument, the firms offer suggestions geared toward helping build community and restoring the natural landscape—such as a zig-zag-shaped school built into a hill and a lush park filled with memorial tidal pools, waterways, and footbridges. The exhibit is on view from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (see City List for other dates) at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. $5 (suggested donation). (202) 272-2448. (Patricia Murret)