Louisiana
Climate change and channelization have made high water levels the norm along the river. But low-lying New Orleans lies in its path, and the consequences could be monumental.
Slate
An algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico has resulted in an oxygen-starved area the size of Massachusetts. Part of the problem is sewage runoff flowing south from Chicago.
Chicago Tribune
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) renewed its contract with Transdev to oversee transit operation, but is also making significant changes to the management structure, including bringing management positions inside the authority.
The Times-Picayune
The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans has launched its first public dashboards to track its operations and initiatives.
Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans
Infrastructure funding has been the subject of major negotiations between politicians at the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans.
The Times-Picayune
The city of New Orleans needs approval from the State Legislature and the state's voters before it can implement tax relief measures meant to give more first-time homebuyers access to the housing market.
The New Orleans Advocate
The Army Corps of Engineers is already assessing the needs of repair work on a project it completed in May 2018 at the cost of $14 billion.
E&E News
A new spirit of cooperation will guide a new study about regional transit with the potential of leading to substantial changes for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority and Jefferson Transit systems.
The New Orleans Advocate
The Housing Authority of New Orleans is trying to deliver more affordable housing units by throwing a few market-rate units into the deal.
The Advocate
Homelessness spiked in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. But the city has made substantial progress in providing housing and services to keep people off the streets.
WBUR
Feature
Jane Jacobs used vague terms to describe the number of stores necessary for a safe and vibrant streetscape. Here, author Fanis Grammenos attempts to discover a more specific number to attach to this prescription.
An analysis of New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina shows that the neighborhoods most damaged were also the most likely to gentrify.
CityLab
Big changes are in store for one of the busiest transit lines in New Orleans.
The New Orleans Advocate
The city of New Orleans is pushing the state to allow property tax relief in neighborhoods where housing values are soaring—the proposal is designed to stabilize neighborhoods undergoing rapid investment and transformation.
The New Orleans Advocate
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority's budget, approved at the end of 2018, is basically a contingency plan.
The New Orleans Advocate
Fulfilling a promise he made as a candidate, the Trump administration proposed a redefinition of what is classified as a wetland, with the result being the loss of federal protection of millions of acres of waterways and wetlands.
NPR
New Orleans could make it easier to build new homes on small lots in the struggling Lower 9th Ward.
The Advocate
The New Orleans City Planning Commission recently released a report recommending three "potentially mandatory" inclusionary zoning initiatives. The city is working against a deadline from the governor.
Gambit
The state of Louisiana is deploying giant 'pillows' of crushed rock to slow coastal erosion.
The Times-Picayune
Tulane researchers received major funding support from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of blight remediation on youth and family violence.
Tulane University
