New Orlean's Massive And Controversial Teardown Effort

"Of the New Orleans districts most ravaged by the floods, planners contest that many of them were never environmentally safe for habitation to begin with. But using the damage as an opportunity to wipe these neighborhoods off the slate is no simple matter. Like the Ninth Ward, many of these areas were occupied by the poor and black, and a number of residents feel that a plot to eliminate their homes is part of a longstanding tradition of political mistreatment. “Historically, [residents of the Ninth Ward] have gotten the short end of the stick,” says Kroloff, quickly amending his statement: “The stick was used to beat them about the head.”

...Meanwhile, wealthier areas that have been equally hurt by flooding, such as Lakeview, are already being rebuilt-not by the city, but by residents who have the financial resources to do so on their own. As a result, services such as water and electricity are returning here more quickly than in the Ninth Ward, where far fewer residents have been able to return."