Metropolitics

The Build/No-Build Line

Richard Campanella — 2011-06-01T05:20:00Z

The Katrina flooding of 2005 ignited a debate between abandonists and maintainers. Should the city move to higher grounds or should it be rebuilt as before? Should concessions be made? If so, where should we draw the line? Richard Campanella explains the arguments behind these positions and why laisser-faire was the ultimate policy, until the next catastrophe.
---- Series: New Orleans: The Post-Katrina Years This text is the second of two excerpts from Richard Campanella, Bienville's Dilemma:

- From the Field / catastrophe, New Orleans, Katrina, disaster, reconstruction, risk, environment, hurricane

Bienville's Dilemma: New Orleans Between Site and Situation

Richard Campanella — 2011-05-25T05:30:00Z

Ever since its founding at the mouth of the Mississippi river, New Orleans is the result of a delicate compromise between site and situation, a fragile balance of environmental risk and commercial and military advantage. Richard Campanella shows that it is this exceptional location which allowed New Orleans to develop as one of the most important American cities despite recurring flooding.
---- Series: New Orleans: The Post-Katrina Years This text is the first of two excerpts from Richard

- Debates / catastrophe, New Orleans, Katrina, disaster, delta, hurricane