There's a rare opportunity to rebuild the Gulf Coast region in such a way that it will succeed on all levels -- but the right plans have to be in place before building begins.
"Many of those whose homes and businesses were destroyed are anxious to rebuild exactly what they had before the storms, and resume their former lifestyles. But what of those less fortunate, whose pre-hurricane lives were a hand-to-mouth existence in squalid housing, with few of the benefits that many low-to-moderate income Americans are able to enjoy? Should the same ghettos be rebuilt, consigning their inhabitants to the same neglect as before? Or is there a better way to rebuild humane environments, with good access to jobs and health care, and to schools that are as good as those in more affluent neighborhoods? Who should decide what and where to rebuild?
These are questions that require careful study by experts in sociology, planning, architecture, education, health care and transportation, but only after the experts have a dialogue with the people whose lives will be affected. Is there a process that can allow all of this to happen?"
FULL STORY: Let's all imagine a new and very livable Gulf Coast
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