Thursday, February 23rd, 2006

How New Orleans Now Is Like The Bronx In The 70s

A great editorial by Roberta Brandes Gratz in the New York Times comparing what city officials tried to do to the Bronx in the 70s and what city officials are now trying to do in New Orleans:

The experts said that investing in neighborhoods where few people remained was throwing good money after bad; those areas were unlivable. Restoring old, deteriorating buildings was a waste of limited resources; the city was getting smaller. We should focus instead on populated neighborhoods and healthy commercial districts.

The experts, of course, were wrong. And the thousands of New Orleanians fighting experts’ recommendations to shrink the city should take heart from New York’s experience.

This is a must-read.

Don’t forget Jordan Flaherty’s essential on-the-ground reporting, available all here.

posted by Jeff Chang @ 8:25 am | 1 Comment

One Response to “How New Orleans Now Is Like The Bronx In The 70s”

Hummingbyrd says:

February 23, 2006 at 9:52 am

Jeff I heart you for this post.

I love when people connect the dots and demonstrate how OUR hoods are systematically destroyed.

Case in POINT DETROIT.

for Hip Hop,
MM

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