Uncommon ground : property, coordination, and rebuilding New Orleans

Abstract

Following Hurricane Katrina, difficult decisions must be made by both government and investors with respect to reconstitution of New Orleans' housing stock and neighborhoods. For investors, risk and uncertainty abound. For planners, a careful balance between property rights and comprehensive planning is required. The fate of several neighborhoods hangs in the balance. What will it take to recapture the value these neighborhoods once held? Specifically, will the market arrive at a solution or is government intervention called for, and if so at what level? Likewise, what role is warranted for the third sector - nonprofit and community organizations? The thesis argues that private developers and government agencies may be poorly equipped to the task, and formal or informal sub-municipal level organizations may be better positioned to engender successful rebuilding by accommodating and reconciling the interests of individual property owners.