Detroit recently replaced New Orleans as the American city with the highest rate of blight. As Detroit undertakes its plans to shrink, which includes a massive blight removal campaign, what lessons from New Orleans bear repeating?
In a recent article for the New York Times, Campbell Robertson thoughtfully compares the lessons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans with the current plans to shrink Detroit. The recovery of neighborhoods in New Orleans that were once proposed for demolition is a lesson in caution for those who might want to wipe the slate clean.
“If any city can speak about the difficult politics of downsizing, it is New Orleans, where a group of planners and business leaders proposed the idea as the best way to bring back the city after it was devastated by the flooding after Katrina in 2005 — and were instantly met with a level of citizen anger that killed the plan on the spot.”
“That the idea was floated at all — most fatefully in a map on the front page of The Times-Picayune that used green dots to suggest potential parkland where there were neighborhoods — set off a burst of block-level activism that would fuel much of the recovery. Some of the green-dot areas on that map are now among the city’s greatest success stories.”
FULL STORY: A Lesson for Detroit in Efforts to Aid a New Orleans Devastated by Katrina
Accused of 'Ambush-Style Eviction,' Detroit Land Bank Faces Lawsuit
A lawsuit, allowed to proceed by a Wayne County judge, reveals some of the difficulties of blight removal.
Mayor Duggan Lays Out Eight Principles for Detroit's Redevelopment
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan made a splash this week by pronouncing a vision to create a Detroit that is 'one city for all of us.'
The Dangers of Demolition for Its Own Sake
Jason Hackworth argues that demolition has come to be seen as a good, in and of itself, in rust belt cities like Detroit; giving rise to policies that are wrong-headed and dangerous.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
Montreal’s Gorilla Park Repurposes Defunct Railway Track
The park is part of a global movement to build public spaces that connect neighbors and work with local elements to serve as key parts of a city’s green infrastructure.
Art in Action: USC Event Calls for an Urgent Green Energy Transition
The El Respiro / Respire event at USC uses a large-scale human geochoreography to demand an urgent and equitable transition to green energy, blending art, activism, and community engagement to amplify the message of climate justice.
Safe Parking Programs Help People Access Housing
The safety and stability offered by Safe Parking sites have helped 40 percent of unhoused San Diego residents who accessed these programs get into permanent housing.
Study: Single-Staircase Buildings Pose No Additional Risks
Zoning codes have long prohibited single-stair residential buildings due to safety concerns, but changing that could lower the cost of construction and allow for more flexible housing designs.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research