It is now about 22 months since hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. I was recently in New Orleans for the first time and had plenty to see. The city is still very much in a state of devastation. But there has also been a lot of progress.
In this post, I'd like to share some pictures I took when I was there and some facts and figures I've come across that help illustrate the current situation in the city.
Hurricane Katrina
First Homes Completed in Brad Pitt's New Orleans Effort
In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, Hurricane Katrina's devastation is painfully evident. But a philanthropic homebuilding effort led by actor Brad Pitt aims to help the neighborhood rebuild. The first homes in that effort have just completed construction.
Architectural Record
Post-Katrina Housing Goes Ikea
Following the Ikea model, home builder John Sawyer is bringing a new -- and cheaper -- process to affordable housing in New Orleans.
The Christian Science Monitor
Continued Demolition Threatens New Orleans Character
In post-Katrina New Orleans, a fine line exists between razing potentially deadly structures, and harnessing a zeal for wholesale redevelopment.
New Orleans City Business
The Catch-22 of New Orleans Transit
Since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, public transit in New Orleans has struggled to rebound. With few riders, service expansions can't be justified. But with diminished service, fewer view transit as a viable option.
Next American City
Planners Need to Treat New Orleans Like Beijing and Dubai
This article from The New York Times contrasts the rapid development of cities like Beijing and Dubai, while New Orleans continues to struggle in its Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.
The New York Times
Katrina's Homeless Still Searching for Housing
Housing -- or the lack of it -- remains a major issue in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Mother Jones
Housing Discrimination Adding to Post-Katrina Hardships
People of color are finding it more and more difficult to secure housing in New Orleans, as new and old forms of housing discrimination -- and overt racism -- are conspiring to keep them out.
The Nation
Louisianans Flee Coast As Hurricane Hits Land
With Hurricane Gustav reaching land Monday, nearly 2 million people have been evacuated from coastal Louisiana. The evacuation is being hailed as a vast improvement from the effort three years ago during Hurricane Katrina, but some residents remain.
New Orleans Times Picayune
Mississippi Gulf Coast Three Years On
Jason Miller reports how coastal Mississippi cities and towns are moving post-Katrina plans and ideas towards implementation.
Mississippi Renewal Forum
Learning from Katrina, Three Years Later
Three years later, Hurricane Katrina has had lasting effects on New Orleans. It's also taught America some lessons about how to react to natural disasters -- and how not to.
Governing
St. Charles Streetcar Clangs Back to Life
The streetcar returns to New Orleans' St. Charles Ave., a step forward in the long struggle to get the city's transit back on it's feet after Katrina.
The Associated Press
Homelessness Continues to Plague New Orleans
By some counts, the number of homeless people in New Orleans has more than doubled since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Aid workers are hoping a bill in Congress will bring extra aid to the struggling city.
The New York Times
Another Year Later, New Orleans Still Waiting
With little evidence of progress in the city's 17 designated recovery areas, residents grow ever more frustrated with local officials.
The New York Times
Hurdles and Speedbumps Slow New Orleans Recovery
One year after the city announced its broad redevelopment plans, many are unhappy with the rate of recovery in New Orleans.
The New York Times
The Movie Star and the Power of Architecture
Actor Brad Pitt's efforts to rebuild housing in New Orleans are not just flashy PR, but rather a reminder that architecture can make a difference, according to this article from Metropolis.
Metropolis Magazine
New Orleans Today -- In Pictures And Numbers
Mon, 06/11/2007 - 21:45
The Unified New Orleans Recovery Plan Nears Completion
Thu, 03/22/2007 - 06:49
As I said in my last posting, the main, if not the only, topic of discussion in planning circles in New Orleans these days is recovery planning from Hurricane Katrina. A year and a half after the storm, we are getting close to having a recovery plan. In late January the Citywide Strategic Recovery and Rebuilding Plan, otherwise known as the “Unified New Orleans Plan” (UNOP), was presented to the New Orleans City Planning Commission (CPC), of which I am the Chair. The CPC has held several public hearings on the plan and we have at least one more scheduled.
The End of People Power Planning?
Tue, 02/27/2007 - 07:39
Thousands of New Orleanians have participated in planning their post-Katrina future – likely more than in any single American city-planning effort, ever. Unfortunately, the New Orleans experience definitively demonstrates the limits of orthodox community-focused planning, the kind that has been neighborhood-based and consensus-driven.
