News
Just and Sustainable
Dec 7 2005
Conferences, meetings, strategy sessions. New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Atlanta. Urban planning, public health, affordable housing, small business retention, and green building. Since September, Urban Conservancy staff have participated in countless discussions focused on rebuilding the city we love.
Throughout the process, we have met many wonderful people. We have heard literally hundreds of creative ideas for rebuilding New Orleans. But while ideas are important, something has been missing from the conferences, gatherings, committees, and from the official pronouncements of our elected officials.
What is missing is a vision of what sort of community we are striving to build. We have heard a lot about programs, policies, and initiatives. But a vision is not a laundry list of policies and programs.
In 1961, President Kennedy told the American public, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” That is articulating a vision. Kennedy then left it up to others to figure out how to achieve the vision. But everyone knew the end goal.
To continue the analogy, New Orleans appears to have started a space program without any clear idea of whether we are sending a man to the moon or a probe to Pluto. Without a clear vision of the future city we are trying to build, much energy and important scarce resources could be wasted pursuing competing or incompatible goals.
As a step toward addressing this glaring gap, we would like to offer one possible vision for the future of New Orleans. We believe it has merit but we invite you to improve upon it or offer one of your own using the comment function below.
So to start the ball rolling, here is our vision:
In 10 years, New Orleans will be a model for a just and sustainable community.
Filed under: Editorials | Rebuilding New Orleans
Replies
Sunshine Bond said:
I think it is of paramount importance for the citizens of New Orleans to pay a lot more attention to nature. The loss of wetlands played a huge role in the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I lived in New Orleans for 3 years before Hurricane Katrina. I have always loved New Orleans. But anyone who believes that living on a swamp below sea level, trapped between a river and a lake is a natural, sustainable, and safe way to live needs a bit of a reality check. The manipulation of nature that enabled the building of the city of New Orleans is an enormous feat of energy and resources, not to mention loss of wetlands. I feel it is high time we give some of those wetlands back within the city of New Orleans as green space by not re-building the lowest areas of the city. Restoration of the wetlands outside New Orleans is important too. Wetlands are a sponge and buffer zone for floodwaters and hurricanes. Why are the poor people living in the lowest parts of town? Let’s bring them up to higher ground and give something back to nature before something horrible happens again.
Dec 7 2005
9:55 PM
Ben said:
I would have to agree with Sunshine Bond, but the issue is a loaded one as seen by the recent reactions of the residents of low-lying areas to the ULI Report. Yes, the city’s 19th century inhabitants had more common sense and knew better than to build in these areas, and yes, Lakeview, Gentilly, and New Orleans East should be given back to Mother Nature as a way of protecting the city from storm surges.
But the big question is, how do you untangle the complexities of race and class in forwarding a move like this? How can one guarantee that the people who (used to) live there get a fair stake in having to relocate elsewhere? I don’t doubt that a lot of Lakeview’s wealthier residents are fine with simply picking up and moving out, but what about all the other people whose lives were built in these areas, the people who are truly rooted to the city?
The what and why for restoring wetlands is easy - it’s the how that’s the hard part…
Dec 8 2005
10:29 AM
Joe LaCour said:
We have some visions, articulated on our two sites: http://www.reconstructno.org
and
http://www.rebuildinglouisianacoalition.org
- strictly agenda-free.
Congratulations on the work you’re doing.
Dec 8 2005
6:24 PM
ReconstructNew Orleans said:
Your comments go to the heart of the problem. The question of how to guarantee that all the people of New Orleans can return and participate fully in rebuilding is indeed complex. It seems to me that putting real-estate developers and politicians alone in charge while keeping disenfranchised citizens out is not the way to do it. A more global approach - taking the environment, urban planning, social issues, and the economy into account and seeking input from the broadest possible range of sources,including academic specialists - is essential. Any proposal to relocate residents must be backed by such a global plan.
I would suggest that you read the following three pieces (in particular) on the ReconstructNew Orleans Web site:
- A Proposed Reconstruction Methodology for New Orleans
- Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development
- Reconfigure, Reconstruct, Rebuild
Please feel free to use the e-mail link to send any and all suggestions/comments/writings/links.
Joe LaCour
RLC Co-Coordinator
Dec 9 2005
7:17 PM
SunShine said:
Ben,
Your comments on the issues of how to achieve a more sustainable New Orleans do get to the point very well.
I ran across www.rebuildgreen.org while writing a paper for my sustainability class, and I recommend viewing it along with the ones that have already been set forth on this forum.
SunShine
Dec 11 2005
11:42 PM
SunShine said:
There is something I would like to add to my commentary which I know puts me at the risk of being branded a heretic.
The natural gas and fossil fuel industry do bring in a big part of Louisiana’s revenue, but at what cost?
The extraction of natural gas and fossil fuels contributes greatly to coastal erosion and loss of wetlands on a local level. On a global level, the burning of fossil fuels contributes to the greenhouse effect, which has a lot to do with climate change, which may be at least partly responsible for Katrina.
Also, how do we know that the extraction itself is not in some way damaging? How can we know that the fossil fuels aren’t in the earth’s crust for a reason that we aren’t yet aware of, and won’t be until the ill effects of extracting fuels have made themselves felt?
The fossil fuel industry may be bringing in the dollars now, but in the long run, it’s not doing New Orleans and Louisiana any favors.
If we really want to talk seriously about sustainability, we should remember that fossil fuels are not on the list of “sustainable” resources.
What can we do about it and how do we do it?
I don’t have any ideas right off the cuff, but I am open to listening to other people’s ideas and supporting good ones.
I’m just putting some thoughts out, and maybe see if we can get the ball rolling.
I appreciate the opportunity to openly discuss issues about the reconstruction of New Orleans.
Dec 12 2005
12:13 AM