Letters From Our Readers

Save Our Neighborhoods

Save Our Neighborhoods is a coalition of neighborhood groups. The following is a statement of our principles and goals.

Our neighborhoods are real, living places. New Orleans is a special place because of its distinctive neighborhoods, which remain home to a variety of racial and ethnic groups, all contributing to its unique character.

-The neighborhoods of New Orleans are predominantly mixed-use and pedestrian-friendly, providing environments which foster close personal interaction and family ties, and the maintenance of these neighborhoods is key to the maintaining those aspects of New Orleans which are universally deemed beneficial.

-These neighborhoods have produced numerous cultural organizations which keep the local culture truly alive, distinguishing New Orleans from many other cities, where the local culture is found only in museums and re-enactments.

-Our neighborhoods contain many structures of architectural uniqueness, charm, and grace and which are crucial to the essence of New Orleans.

Our local businesses are distinctive and care about us. Our neighborhoods have historically been serviced by distinctive, family-run independent businesses, which have a great stake in the City, providing the citizens with a range of choice and the City with a distinctive character in a world in which businesses and the services provided by them are becoming increasingly homogenized and indistinct. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, many of these local businesses were the first to return to provide services to the citizens of New Orleans.

Our neighborhoods are vital to our economy. The neighborhoods of New Orleans are the ground on which the tourism industry is based; and every act that diminishes the architectural, environmental, cultural and human assets of the City injures the City’s economy.

Our neighborhood groups have protected our culture, heritage and economy. For many years, neighborhood groups have flourished in New Orleans, and have sought to maintain the architectural, environmental, cultural and human assets of their neighborhoods.

Our neighborhood groups have been ignored. City government has not heard the voices of our neighborhood groups. Even before Hurricane Katrina,

-neighborhood groups increasingly found themselves fighting the imposition of unwanted and inappropriate structures and businesses.

-appointments to the City’s Boards and Commissions tended to exclude advocates of neighborhood self-determination.

-businesses were frequently allowed to violate the law or to conduct activities in neighborhoods against the wishes of neighborhood groups.

The City’s zoning, planning and preservation system is broken. For too long, zoning, planning and preservation decisions have been made on an ad hoc basis. Frequently, numerous waivers and provisos are appended to project approvals in an attempt to disguise the non-conformity and provide political cover to elected officials.

-For too long, the professional zoning, planning and preservation process has been subjected to political pressure.

-The City has failed to complete the Master Plan, and that failure has allowed ad hoc planning and zoning decisions to continue at the expense of rational economic development

The City’s planning and zoning system has hindered economic development. Though elected officials have claimed to foster economic development in approving certain projects, the erratic manner in which zoning and planning decisions have been made and the uncertainty produced by such decisions has discouraged healthy economic development.

The time for neighborhoods is now! The entire nation is now focused on the rebuilding of New Orleans. It is crucial that the planning of that rebuilding demonstrate that planning and zoning decisions will be made in accordance with law in a fair and open manner, allowing meaningful participation from all interested parties, including neighborhood groups.

-The rebuilding committees do not have sufficient representation from neighborhood groups, providing a sound basis for fears that the voices of neighborhood groups will be ignored, and that ad hoc planning and zoning practices will continue, preventing healthy economic development which would truly benefit a broad range of citizens.

-The rebuilding committees must be reconstituted to truly represent the citizens of New Orleans.

-The City’s zoning, planning and preservation processes must protect our neighborhoods, our heritage, and our economy.

It’s time for the City’s neighborhoods to band together to formulate
and insist on fair, rational, and progressive plans
for rebuilding the City.

SAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IS OPEN TO NEIGHBORHOOD AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS.

IF YOUR ORGANIZATION WANTS TO JOIN, EMAIL US AT

saveourneighborhoods@hotmail.com