Draft Master Plan Released in New Orleans

"The document, which runs several hundred pages, can be found at www.nolamasterplan.org, the City Planning Commission said."

"The plan offers scores of ideas, many of which are so general and high-minded they are unlikely to attract opposition. Others, however, could stir controversy."

"Many New Orleanians, accustomed to more pessimistic assessments of the city's prospects and familiar with the bitter battles that even modest proposals for change often provoke, might shake their heads at some of the document's rosier scenarios, such as the statement that 'New Orleanians now can share the benefits of growth -- and forge a common will across lines of race, income, neighborhood and other dividers.'"

"However, David Dixon, the leader of the team of national and local consultants who drafted the document, insisted it is grounded in reality, and he said other cities have undergone a renaissance despite equally daunting problems."

"The plan is expected to be revised after it is discussed at a series of meetings in the next few weeks. "