Housing Crawls Back Into New Orleans

A mixed-income housing project is one of a handful of housing complexes taking form in New Orleans, where housing availability has been slow to recover to pre-Katrina levels.

1 minute read

November 21, 2007, 12:00 PM PST

By Nate Berg


"In a long-neglected neighborhood near the central business district, for example, the 183-unit Preserve will replace a plant where Crystal Hot Sauce, a staple of Cajun cooking, used to be bottled, and the 228-unit Crescent Club is rising on the site of a former car dealership. Nearby, the century-old Falstaff Brewery complex - shuttered for three decades - is being transformed into 147 rental apartments."

"To be sure, all this development is hardly likely to compensate for the rental housing wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. Before the storm, renters were 53 percent of the population, most in homes with one to four units. In all, 51,681 rental homes, about half the total in the city, were destroyed or damaged, the Louisiana Recovery Authority said. Efforts to replace four battered public housing projects with mixed-income developments have stalled."

"The report, which surveyed 27,000 apartments, found that rents had climbed an average of 27 percent since the storm. Rates have since stabilized, Mr. Schedler said."

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

33 minutes ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

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.

1 hour ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

2 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press