It's like something out of a Flannery O'Connor story. The setting is the small town of Natchez, Miss., which was built on an unstable, water-soluble bluff. An entire street, Clifton Avenue, collapsed about 20 years ago. Swallowed up. A few years back—in 1995, to be exact, Sen. Trent Lott urged Congress to shore up the bluff to save not just people—two women died in a 1980 street collapse—but "to protect these historically significant properties and to prevent potential loss of lives," as he put it.
It's like something out of a Flannery O'Connor story. The setting is the small town of Natchez, Miss., which was built on an unstable, water-soluble bluff. An entire street, Clifton Avenue, collapsed about 20 years ago. Swallowed up. A few years back-in 1995, to be exact, Sen. Trent Lott urged Congress to shore up the bluff to save not just people-two women died in a 1980 street collapse-but "to protect these historically significant properties and to prevent potential loss of lives," as he put it.
Lott got what he wanted: $30 million from the federal government to build a retaining wall of sorts that runs the length of Natchez's historic district. It's eight inches thick, and, according to some residents, the bluff is holding up the wall, not the other way around.
The wall, however, gives the town a sense of security. With its eight-inch-thick Superman, town leaders felt so secure, in fact, that they decided to tear down a 1946 pecan factory and sell the water-soluble land to condo developers who want to build a $19 million five-building complex with underground parking lot.
On both sides of the pecan factory, the land has collapsed. One Natchezzer (surely not a real word) calls the area "the big bite," because it "looks like a monster just came out of the Mississippi and just took a bite."
Hmm. You have a situation so dire that you need the Army Corps of Engineers to fix it, and 12 years later, you decide that the land is good enough to support a condo building with an underground parking lot? There must be some Southern Gothic symbolism in this story, but I don't see it. I just know I'm not going to buy a condo in Natchez.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
Rethinking Computing: Researchers Tackle AI’s Energy Demands
USC researchers are reimagining how AI systems are trained and powered — through smarter algorithms, innovative hardware, and brain-inspired designs — to dramatically reduce computing’s energy footprint.
Amazon-Owned Robotaxis to Begin Testing in LA
Los Angeles will become the sixth city where Zoox is testing its autonomous vehicle technology.
New York MTA Says No More Borrowing, Will Cut Costs Instead
The agency says it won’t take out any new loans to finance its planned improvements and is finding other ways to cut costs.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
