The New Faubourg Lafitte
The new construction reflects the character of the existing communities, and is a result of the mobilization of a spirited local residential council in response to a HUD mandate that their homes be demolished in the wake of two devastating hurricanes.
This project exemplifies local groups taking action, the preservation of cultural character, and the pursuit of environmental justice in a city that is rebuilding from the ground up in the wake of disaster.
Historically, its residents were primarily free people of color; today, it remains an important core of the city's African-American and Créole cultures.
Numbering among the cultural landmarks in the area are institutions like the New Orleans African American Museum, the Mahalia Jackson Theatre and Armstrong Park.
Hurricane Katrina brought about a terrible loss of life, and many who did not lose their lives still suffered devastating blows to their homes and livelihoods; it was perhaps the deadliest natural disaster in the US since 1928, and the most expensive in the country's history.
[5] Because of the failure of public authorities to adequately prepare for the disaster, poor, predominantly Black communities ultimately bore the brunt of the damages.
Furthermore, recovery policies in many ways reinforced discriminatory practices, and the city's poor black residents were often not seen as having a place in the "new" New Orleans that officials hoped would rise from the blank slate left in Katrina's wake.
[7] Additionally, HANO, with the support of HUD, instituted a campaign of systematically demolishing public housing projects that survived the hurricane in conditions that were relatively intact.
This right to housing extends beyond simply four walls and a roof that protect one from the elements; it implies a need for the connections that people make to a place and to each other within a community.
In addition to losing their homes and communities, many of the city's poor residents, and in particular those who lived in public housing, were excluded from the decision-making process with respect to rebuilding; they have had few opportunities to participate in decisions in which they are necessarily very much invested any tangible or meaningful way.
The houses feature porches and large windows, which, while also being architecturally consistent with the character of the neighborhood, also provide a sense of residents being able to watch the street.
There is even a type of sentinel building that was designed to flank the lane access to parking that occurs within the blocks to provide an additional sense of security in the semi-private areas.
Within neighborhoods, a broad range of housing types and price levels can bring people of diverse ages, races, and incomes into daily interaction.
[13] A particularly impassioned residential council has been instrumental in the redevelopment effort and level of community involvement; they perpetuated an attitude of hope and the belief that a better home - and consequently a better life - was possible.
After five years, during which time the wills of residents, federal mandates, advocacy groups, and preservation and design politics aligned, the first homes have been constructed.
[14] The residents talked about the significance of community, and shared their fond childhood memories of walking down streets lined with houses with large windows and porches where they felt safe because they were among people they knew.
Magic Street, a green feature that spans the entire site, is so named because it honors the hope seen by the children whose drawings served as the basis for its inspiration.
[17] In order to achieve a truer and more traditional neighborhood as opposed to another set of housing projects, the design incorporates a variety of building types.
The New York Times Editorial Board wrote that "the Lafitte design shows that it is possible to satisfy the need to replace destroyed public housing and to create vibrant new communities of mixed incomes.
While he asserted that it would be impossible to conclusively assess the project before its completion, it exhibited careful studies of nuanced archetypes and avoided mere cartoons of them.
Its governing ideals include the promotion of walking, bicycling, and public transportation through a cohesive network of streets, paths, greenways, and waterways, and the creation of denser, clearly bounded communities that preserve open spaces and natural systems.
While city planning is such a dynamic and intricate undertaking that it is hard to ensure success, New Urbanism is based on principles that promote strong communities.
