The Urban Conservancy News Roundup

Urban Farmers' Crops Go From Vacant Lot to Market

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:33:46 -0600

For years, New Yorkers have grown basil, tomatoes and greens in window boxes, backyard plots and community gardens. But more and more New Yorkers like the Wilkses are raising fruits and vegetables, and not just to feed their families but to sell to people on their block.

This urban agriculture movement has grown even more vigorously elsewhere. Hundreds of farmers are at work in Detroit, Milwaukee, Oakland and other areas that, like East New York, have low-income residents, high rates of obesity and diabetes, limited sources of fresh produce and available, undeveloped land.

In One Town, Local Stores Outlast Home Depot

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:25:16 -0600

“Last week, I had to get a part for my kitchen overhead vent,” said Dan Rubchinuk, 26, of Putney, shopping for gloves and a coffee press Friday at Brown & Roberts. “I call here and they spend five minutes on the phone with me. I call Home Depot and spend 15 minutes on hold while the person tries to figure out what I’m talking about.”

Fielkow: Inspector General's Office To Get Computers, Phones

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:22:03 -0600

“It is time to get the Office of Inspector General fully staffed and operational so that it can begin to do its job,” Fielkow said. “Our city has important issues that must be addressed by the inspector general sooner rather than later, and we cannot afford to wait any longer for bureaucratic issues to be worked out.”

Earthlink To Pull Plug On N.O. Wi-Fi

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:58:46 -0600

The company, which spent $4 million installing its New Orleans network, has not been able to pinpoint a specific reason why its venture into municipal wireless failed.

Gray Ghost Launches Offensive At Cafe

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:51:31 -0600

Business owners along Magazine Street have long complained that Radtke, who is not a city employee, has painted on their buildings without their permission. But when told of their concerns, Narcisse said in January that the NOPD has no intention of charging Radtke with defacing of public or private property and praised his efforts in reducing crime and improving the city’s quality of life.

Jose Can You See? Bush's Trojan Taco

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:23:59 -0600

First, the summit planned for the N.O. two years back was meant to showcase the rebuilt Big Easy, a monument to can-do Bush-o-nomics. Well, it is a monument to Bush’s leadership: The city still looks like Dresden 1946, with over half the original residents living in toxic trailers or wandering lost and broke in America.

Thinking Outside the Big Box

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:01:57 -0600

The recent uptick in big-box projects and proposals in the Crescent City, fueled by tax subsidies and other costly giveaways, has left owners of smaller home-grown businesses in related industries gritting their teeth and bracing for hard times.

UNO Study: Katrina 'Greatly Affected' State's Political Landscape

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:02:52 -0600

The decrease in the number of voters from 2003 to 2007 in the eight-parish New Orleans area was more than 100,000, a 23 percent decline, Chervenak said. The number of black voters dropped disproportionately, falling 41 percent compared with a 15 percent decrease among white voters, he said.

Recovery Projects Awarded Grants: Improvements Target N.o. Neighborhoods

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:15:34 -0600

Nineteen grants totaling more than $581,000 have been awarded to help bring to life some of the neighborhood recovery projects envisioned in the Unified New Orleans Plan for rebuilding the city after Hurricane Katrina.

$60M Tracage Condo Project Spawns Lawsuit

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:14:39 -0600

“This is about the future of the Warehouse District and whether it is going to continue to be four- and five-story residences or whether it’s going to be a series of Miami South Beach towers. If I wanted to live in South Beach I would have moved there,” Rubenstein said

Quiet Revolution

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:44:12 -0600

“We built the opera house in two months, the botanical gardens in three months, Niemeyer’s museum in five months. We transformed the city’s main street into a pedestrian area in 72 hours. It wasn’t that we were chasing after records - it was necessity.”

Wally N’Dow, former head of the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), has described Curitiba as “a wonderful example, because cities that follow this lead can jumpstart the economies, assist the poorest of their poor, and clean up their cities.”

Judge: Couple Has Right To Trial In Katrina Bridge Blockade Case

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:01:49 -0600

Beginning on Aug. 31, 2005, and continuing for at least five days, Gretna police, Crescent City Connection bridge police and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputies turned back hundreds of people trying to walk across the bridge to escape the misery of New Orleans, which was flooded, blacked out and in short suppy of food and drinking water.

Indicted Congressman's Brother Charged with Paying Bribes

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:31:05 -0600

Mose Jefferson, the eldest brother and chief political strategist of embattled U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges that he repeatedly bribed Ellenese Brooks-Simms, the former president of the Orleans Parish School Board, to ensure her support for a computer-based algebra curriculum he was selling.

Big Plans Are Slow to Bear Fruit in New Orleans

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:10:10 -0600

“It took us 11 years to do downtown Oakland,” said Mr. Blakely, an academic from California who specializes in helping cities recover from disasters. “This is a process of urban redevelopment. You cannot do this overnight, no city, anyplace in the world.”

Crime Cameras Not Capturing Many Crimes

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:48:07 -0600

Murders went down within 250 feet of the cameras, but the reduction was completely offset by an increase 250 to 500 feet away, suggesting people moved down the block before killing each other.