The recovery and long-range redevelopment of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region is a complex undertaking requiring simultaneous planning in a wide range of disciplines. There is a paramount need to create a planning infrastructure that will enhance collaboration and reduce duplication in all of the planning disciplines moving forward. To accomplish this goal, the Louisiana Recovery Authority has embraced the concept of Nexus planning, and the development of comprehensive Community Nexus Centers. The "nexus" concept advocates for a managerial, programmatic, and physical planning model that is highly integrated in its design and execution. A fully developed community Nexus center is conceived of as a place where a wide range of programs and services are effectively sited, coordinated and administered in a way that addresses the needs of the people who most need them. At the core of the concept is a cooperative governance model called the Community Trust. This article explores how the Nexus centers can be an important tool for engaging the community in issues related to a full range of the physical, cultural, social, economic, organizational and educational aspects of neighborhood and community planning both in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and be a model for collaborative planning in neighborhoods and communities nationwide. Included is a visual illustration of how a Community Nexus Center might be organized for a hypothetical small town or urban neighborhood.