Rebuilding "big easy" will not be easy

The rebuilding of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina provides an unprecedented chance to create new city neighborhoods that are economically and racially diverse, says Meghan Cope, associate professor of geography, University at Buffalo (N.Y.). However, she adds, given the prevailing trends in urban development, it is unlikely that such diverse neighborhoods will emerge.

All across the nation, Cope notes, are examples of how mixed-income communities create more diversity and, therefore, better communities. In these areas, populations are not so isolated and they accommodate the elderly in small apartments or houses, as well as young families in larger homes. "These communities often are designed around a park or open space as a focal point, instead of letting cars, sprawling plazas, and luxury-home subdivisions rule.

"But given the way urban development actually happens, that is, driven by the profit motive in our economic system, I am skeptical as to how much of that will really be incorporated."

She maintains that once rebuilding New Orleans begins, capital will begin pouring into development projects in the city from the Federal government and private investors. "The fact is that new development tends to happen at the high-end of the market, focused on new luxury housing, such as 'McMansions.' People build at the top end, with the idea that everything trickles down," she asserts.

It is the same with commercial development. "So you will see Galleria-type shopping plazas instead of the small, neighborhood stores that are especially important to low-income communities.

"Depending on what they do with zoning laws, if they don't actively pursue an integrated, multi-use mix of residential and commercial property, then they will end up with a sprawl situation that doesn't serve any population very well," Cope concludes.

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