Report to Mayor Nagin's Rebuilding Commission
BACK COMMISSION:
AN ALTERNATIVE VISION FOR REBUILDING,
REDEVELOPMENT & RECONSTRUCTION
SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF
FROM THE LAKE TO THE RIVER: THE NEW ORLEANS COALITION
FOR LEGAL AID & DISASTER RELIEF
Hurricane Katrina exposed the City of New Orleans' great vulnerabilities and flaws. Beyond the flaws in the city's levee system which put both life and property in harm's way, Katrina also exposed the city's tremendous racial and class divisions, and problems that persist with its socio-economic and political infrastructure. Indeed, behind the mask of the French Quarter and the beauty of the city's Garden District lie a city with segregated neighborhoods, racial tension, high crime, educational inequality and extreme poverty. The task of rebuilding and reconstructing the city presents a unique opportunity to repair not only its physical infrastructure but to also address the social inequities, political challenges and racial imbalances that have persisted for decades.