Can New Orleans rebuild its gritty charm without recreating 'hyperconcentrations of poverty'? Many fear the New Orleans will become a sanitized version of its past.
New Orleans real-estate developer Pres Kabacoff "hopes that the study produced over the last year, dubbed Operation Rebirth, will become a road map to create the new New Orleans. The study, which seeks to reinvigorate rundown stretches of the city, envisions an "Afro-Caribbean Paris," with garden-lined boulevards, an African-American cultural district, a modern trolley system and 25,000 revitalized homes -- houses that were left to rot long before Katrina arrived.
...New Orleans, known for its small neighborhoods, is more likely to opt for more intimate proposals, such as the proposed New Orleans Upriver Greenway Corridor. A study paid for by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Trust for Public Land, finished just before Katrina struck, calls for a $15 million to $85 million revitalization of a mile-long stretch of the Mississippi waterfront. The plan envisions taking over dilapidated cargo wharves to create a ribbon of parks and recreation along what's now an inaccessible industrial waterfront."
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FULL STORY: Can Rebuilding New Orleans Solve Its Old Problems?

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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