Rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina may not take as long as some predict.
"Consider what happened after a major earthquake struck Kobe, Japan, in 1995. Many people, in Japan and abroad, thought that the port city would take years, even decades, to recover. The quake, which had a magnitude of 6.9, was the worst ever to hit a modern city. It wrecked the port; destroyed 100,000 buildings and severely damaged many more; ruptured the water, sewer, electrical and gas systems; and destroyed roads and rail lines.
Yet despite the catastrophe, Kobe's economy recovered rapidly. Only a year after the quake, Kobe was handling as many imports as before the disaster, and exports had recovered to 83 percent of their previous level...
Rebuilding lives and communities does not, however, mean returning the economy to exactly where it was before. Rather, a disaster tends to accelerate economic changes that are already under way. That is because some physical assets, whether outdated manufacturing plants or homes in declining areas, are worth keeping only because they were paid for long ago and cost next to nothing to use. They would cost more to replace than they are worth."
FULL STORY: When Disasters Act as Accelerators of Change

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

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

End Human Sacrifices to the Demanding Gods of Automobile Dependency and Sprawl
The U.S. has much higher traffic fatality rates than peer countries due to automobile dependency and sprawl. Better planning can reduce these human sacrifices.

Trump: Federal Government Won’t Pay for California HSR
The President has targeted federal funding for the California bullet train project since his first administration.

San Francisco Enhances Urban Planning Initiatives with Green Infrastructure
San Francisco incorporates green infrastructure in its city development initiatives, elevating the importance of sustainability in urban planning.

Chicago Approves Green Affordable Housing Plan
The Mayor’s plan calls for creating a nonprofit housing corporation tasked with building affordable housing that meets Green Building standards.
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