Rebuilding The 9th: The Theories That Influenced The Plan

So, what other theories influenced AHUP’s recommendations and guidelines on how to form and execute this ambitious plan? Obviously, the answer to this question may have numerous correct responses. I believe that the writings of Lewis Mumford and Robert Putnam may both contain central viewpoints and ideals that were utilized by the planners of this project. Lewis Mumford wrote how it was the social drama and culture of a people of an urbanized area that made it what it was, while Robert Putnam called for more social capital, and felt as Americans we needed to become more involved in our communities and our nation. AHUP’s research involved several surveys and interviews with residents of the 9th ward, and much of their plan formed around what the residents of the area wanted and needed. This participation by residents of the area to help form the plan reflects what both Mumford, and especially Putnam, were writing about. It would be interesting to know what Robert Putnam would feel about this somewhat forced form of social capital that people of the greater New Orleans area experienced following Katrina. People started to become more involved with their community out of necessity, as many felt the government and other agencies were not looking out for their best interests.

As mentioned before, Paul Davidoff describes the dangers of the rich and influential having rule over what planning should be done in a city, in his essay “Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning.” By ACORN being a non-prfit organization, this could be potentially a great way to help minimize the hold the wealthy and powerful will have on the planning process, however, it is not fail-proof. The well-off can usually always find a way to through a monkey-wrench into a planning process they disapprove of. Lets hope that doesn’t happen here.

Edward J. Kaiser and David R. Godschalk described their vision of what the development of land use in a city plan should be in their essay, “Twentieth Century Land Use Planning: A Stalwart Family Tree.” Whether this plan directly influenced the planners for the 9th ward plan is unknown, however, Kaiser and Godschalk’s description of what land use development planning has evolved into since the 1950’s, describes this AHUP plan exactly. AHUP’s plan calls for a more economically sustainable area, along with rebuilding of residential areas and a community infrastructure. In an AHUP survey, it was found that a large portion of residents were concerned and unhappy with their neighborhoods appearance, rent inflation, increasing crime, and a lack of resources to actually rehabilitate the area. This is why AHUP specifically outlines things like parks, social and civic areas, commerce, residential areas, and a new economic infrastructure to help sustain growth, and even help attract new residents and businesses to the area. Kaiser and Godschalk said that in the 1950’s, planning was elitist, and had “long-range visions” with no real plan on how to execute such plans. They argue now though that land use planning has evolved into “frameworks for community consensus on future growth supported by fiscally grounded actions to manage change.” Compare the AHUP plan to what Kaiser and Godschalk described, and one can see the clear similarities.

The People’s Plan….Public Participation

   How Did Members Of The Public Participate In Creating The Plan?

  On October 15, 2005, AHUP came together to focus on effective and efficient ways to rebuild the 9th ward of New Orleans.  By early November, AHUP had already organized the ACORN Community Forum on Rebuilding New Orleans, which took place in Baton Rouge, LA.  This forum, which was attended by several prominent architects and planners from around the nation, as well as many state and local officals, gave residents of the storm-ravaged neighborhood an opportunity to speak out and advocate for what their community needs were. The forum started with a bus tour through lower income neighborhoods, with much of the day following that was dedicated to talking about afforable housing, environmental concerns, and other issues dealing with the rebuilding efforts of southeast Louisiana.  Those residents of the 9th ward who became refugees following Katrina, and were still distributed across the nation, were given a chance to provide their input as well, via a live global wecast, where the storm’s survivors could email in their questions and comments to the speakers at the forum. This forum also let the officials and planners express what they thought would be the best immediate plans of action, and what they thought needed to be the main focus of restoration efforts in the post-Katrina greater New Orleans area.  

  Also in November of 2005, six community meetings took place, involving over 750 9th ward residents. These initial meetings greatly helped AHUP’s research, and aided them in knowing where to focus their relief efforts, and what the specific needs and desires of the residents were. These community meetings continued, and through ACORN and community leaders, kept in rather continuous contact with AHUP, to ensure the plan was staying on course to aide the citizens of the 9th ward. 

Overall, the community participation in the AHUP project became a primary role in the formation of “The People’s Plan.”  Without an involvement from the actual effected communities, this plan may not have been as focused on what needs to be done.  By listening to the people, it formulated for AHUP where research needed to be done, and what issues to pinpoint to help restore the 9th ward to a more efficient and economically vibrant community.  

When ACORN and the corresponding universities it partnered with, were forming AHUP, they surely had to plan for the types of oppostion they would go up against.  The rebuilding of New Orleans is a highly visible and highly salient issue, however, that doesn’t mean that attempts to get a plan of action organized and approved would not be without opposition. Other groups and organizations may feel like their issue is more important, and may fight to get money and/or attention diverted over to their direction. For example, in New Orleans, if some government funds were going to the 9th ward, residents of the Lakeview area may step forward and protest that they deserve the money more.  This is just one of the seemingly thousands of problems that arise when any type of planning process begins.  John Forester discusses this more in depth in “Planning In The Face Of Conflict.”  He takes a first hand look at many of the real conflicts planners have to deal with on a day to day basis. One can only imagine that the conflicts Forester describes must be exaggerated tenfold in a city like New Orleans, and in the time of the infamous Katrina aftermath.

ACORN should be admired for getting involved to such a degree with the actual residents and community of where they would be restoring. If left solely up to the bureaucracy, the culturally rich 9th ward may have been bulldozed or could have become an opportunity for some government fat cat to line his pockets with.  AHUP gave these residents a voice in what they needed and an active role in the planning process. In “Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning,” author/lawyer/planner Paul Davidoff writes about the dangers of different interest groups and organizations having too much influence in city planning. He says that the rich and wealthy have the most influence, so many cities don’t have many plans proposed and executed that would be of benefit to the lower income residents. This was, and still is, a great fear about the rebuilding effort in New Orleans, and is arguably already happening. However, the non-profit AHUP became advocates for this mid to lower income community of the 9th ward , and is seemingly ethical in its practices so far, as well as looking out for the needs of the people who call it home.   

Works Cited: 

“The City Planner” by LeGates and Stout,   

ACORN.org-  http://www.acorn.org/?id=8316&tx_ttnews%5bpointer%5d=3&tx_ttnews%5btt_news%5d=18396&tx_ttnews%5bbackPid%5d=2657&cHash=a36f867ede     and   

rebuildingtheninth.org

Prelude To A Project….. The People’s Plan for Overcoming the Hurricane Katrina Blues

How And Why Was The Plan Written?

  This plan was designed to rebuild and revitalize the 9th ward.  The plan focuses on building a more “equitable” 9th ward, with a strong economic and community infrasructure for its residents, ensuring a “higher quality of life”, along with trying to attract new residents to the area. Several methods were used to construct this plan.  “The People’s Plan” evaluated several thousand buildings and residences to determine rebuilding potential, interviewed hundreds of residents to decide what the priorities of the project should be, surveyed businesses to determine current economic flow of the area, and inspected some of the main educational and civic buildings to determine “structural integrity” and ”potential for reuse.” These are by far not the only aspects looked at to devise this ambitious plan, however, these are some of the key factors used.

  Who Wrote The Plan?

  This comprehensive strategy was formulated by AHUP, also known as the ACORN Housing University Partnership.  This is a non-profit organization made up of ACORN, Columbia University, Cornell University, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Howver to write this specific plan, AHUP worked with many others such as the New Orleans City Council, the Louisiana Legislature, several universities like LSU, and many citizen-led community groups. This plan is somewhat of a conglomeration of all these residents’ and organizations’ ideas and interests combined. 

What Do We Know About their Previous Work?

  AHUP is a very unique group as it was formed in October of 2005 by ACORN leaders and these three universities especially for the purpose of helping the restoration process of greater New Orleans, more specifically, the 9th ward. ACORN was, and still is, in existence before Katrina in 2005, and is a large grassroots organization committed to community development through advocating for issues like jobs and housing.  Before drafting this plan, AHUP was responsible for much critical research about what must be done to make the 9th ward economically and residentially sustainable once again for residents. Such research conducted in the summer of 2006 included:

-An analysis of the role adjudicated (tax foreclosure) properties might play in the initial phase of the city’s recovery process

-An exploration of alternative designs for low-density and energy-efficient affordable housing for the 9th Ward

-An investigation of emerging “Principles of Good Practice for Participatory Neighborhood Planning”

Were The Planners Hired By A Government Agency, Working For A Neighborhood Group, Or Working For Some Other Entity?

 

 

ACORN Housing and the three main university particpants were not hired by anyone. This is a non-profit, charitable organization, that had a great interest to help rebuild and restore the Katrina-ravaged 9th ward.  ACORN has always been a charitable organization, while many of the planners, etc., for this plan are graduate students from various universities who earn school credit and hands-on experience, while constructing this plan. AHUP did work with several 9th ward neighborhood groups, along with state and local governments, but ultimately, the entire planning project is governed by this non-profit agency.

Inheriting A Crisis….

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, undoubtedly marked an historic day for America.  On election day, Americans went to the polls in droves and elected the first African American President of the United States.  This certainly marked they end of an era as well as Americans desire for change.  Robert Putnam may have very well been encouraged by Tuesday, as Americans turned out to vote in record.  To him, this may be a highly encouraging sign that there is still hope for social capital in such a modernized nation.  The presidential election was a regime changing event, no matter what side of the aisle your political ideology falls on. However, the new president elect, Barack Obama, hasn’t much time to celebrate, as the United States, and the world for that matter, looms on economic devastation, amongst an ever-growing financial crisis.

Barack Obama’s job for the next for years isn’t necessarily enviable.  The country is embedded in two wars, a mortgage crash has left thousands homeless, no health insurance for many, rising unemployment rates, and an overall economic recession is a task that many wouldn’t want to deal with in a million years.  I believe President Obama needs to tackle the economic problems, like unemployment and the stock market, first, in order to best help the country.  Large urban areas, and rural alike, have been devastated by company lay-offs and job outsourcing.  Problems like this can hurt some urban areas worse than any other areas, as they already have had problems struggling with their local economy.  For example, New Orleans and Detroit are two cities who have been trying to keep their head above water for quite sometime.  The economic crisis will, and has, affected these areas even more now.  The fate of several great American cities may lie in the president-elect’s hands.

Also, in this campaign, we’ve heard both candidates talk about what they’ll do for the middle class.  Most of America is of this demographic, so its understandable why they would vie for their votes. However, I hope the issue of poverty hasn’t slipped out of Obama’s head.  Several areas, mainly in cities, have an outrageous poverty rate that continues to grow.  I would like President Obama to know that something must be done about the poor and homeless. Perhaps programs similar to the public works programs of the New Deal era would create jobs and help decrease jobs. Perhaps economic stimulus packages for a city’s unique economy would help. I’m not policy genie, but I do know that in order to save America, we need to save its urbanized arenas of finance. It can no longer be “Yes, We Can” Mr. Obama. It must now be “Yes, We Will.”

N’awlins: The Social Capital Of The South

  Robert Putnam believed deeply in the concept of “social capital” being crucial to the effectiveness and survival of cities.  In “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”, Putnam describes social capital as “features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate cooridination and cooperation for mutual benefit.” Putnam emphasized the extreme importance of civic and social participation by the community, and was concerned over the growing depletion of this social capital here in the U.S.  Americans’ participation in voting, social organizations, church and community activities, and even relationships of every kind seems to be continually unravelling and decreasing steadily, year after year.   Putnam points to mobility and more migration around the country, demographic changes, lack of trust of neighbors and people in general, and “the technological transformation of leisure” with things like TV and the internet, as possible causes to the weakening of social capital. He also points out though, that “the most fundamental form of social capital is the family” and views the erosion of family relationships, due to divorce and mothers joining the workforce, at the center of what may be causing this national crisis.  As to how this diminishing civic envolvement could be stopped, Robert Putnam stresses that more comprehensive research must be done and answer crucial questions about the changes in our society and how to regain this social capital. Putnam suggests possible forms of electronic networks for social capital and development of the capital in the workplace as well, as well as focusing on what public policies may be infringing on Americans’ participation in their country.

So, is social capital in post-Katrina New Orleans on the decline? That is a very difficult question to answer. Depending on what part of the city you live in, and how badly you were affected by the storm and its aftermath, it may present several diverse views on whether social capital is on the decline or rise in New Orleans.  In some parts of the greater New Orleans area, there seems to be no social capital whatsoever, such as parts of New Orleans east and the lower 9th ward, along with many other storm ravaged areas, are seemingly an abandoned ghost town.  However, overall, I would say there has been a definite surge in civic engagement and participation in New Orleans since August 29, 2005. In several parts of the city, there is a definite social capital that has been thrust upon the citizens.  Thousands of residents who decided not to simply pack up and leave the Big Easy, have been forced to attend town hall meetings, join community activist groups, and take a very active roll in their neighborhoods to ensure their homes are rebuilt. 

One way this social capital trend can be actively seen in affecting the city is in our elected officials.  New Orleanians were more cynical and skeptical of politicians than ever before following Hurricane Katrina.  The lawmakers on every level of government knew, that if they wanted to keep their jobs, as well as their heads, their policies and responsiveness would need to change.  Sure enough, federal, state, and local officials all planned together to ensure a better outcome if another storm were to hit. In Spetember of this year, almost three years exactly to the day of Katrina, Gustav hit Louisiana and the government put its new plan into effect.  Gustav did indeed do some damage to Grand Isle, and other parts of Houma and Terrebone parishes, however the government’s evacuation and clean up plans were rather effective.  This combined effort of all government officials, as well as the citizens participation in these plans, shows the increase and importance of social capital in New Orleans.

This increase of social capital is even more evident in the post-Katrina culture we see in our city today.  People have seemed to have bonded closer together, and see the need to take and respond to civic actions. Perhaps it was because they needed to in order for government of every level to hear their collective voice, or maybe neighbors feel more like family after they’ve gone through such harsh times together.  Whatever the cause, the effect is quite visible.  For example, Mardi Gras floats and costumes still parody the situation surrounding the storm and the government officials involved.  Restaurants have special dishes named after Katrina and its aftermath, while bars around town have potent concoctions of various liquors named after or referring to the infamous storm.  Jokes, stories, and anecdotes abound from the locals, as they seem much more cynical of government and much more committed to their home town.  Following the events of 9/11, many described a palpable bond between New Yorkers of every size, race, and religion. New Orleans is no different.  Katrina broke our levees, but in doing so, has apparently stenthened our bond as New Orleanians.

In conclusion, the concept of social capital helps our understanding of post-Katrina New Orleans in that it makes us see the incredible importance of everyone participating and getting involved with your community.  If someone wasn’t pleased with how the officials in office responded, they may now realize the importance of voting.  If someone was concerned about a loved one left to fend off the flood waters, they may know realize the importance of family bonds.  Social capital is a primary and crucial concept that is needed to ensure that the failures in the aftermath of the storm will not happen again. Social capital makes for a better community, city, and country.  Here’s to you Mr. Putnam! Here’s to you!

Radiant Garden City Beautiful: Mumford v. Jacobs

Lewis Mumford and Jane Jacobs were two very well respected authors and scholars of the urban process. Together, Mumford and Jacobs stood united on several urban development issues.  They both were avidly against the “urban renewal” that was taking place in several American and Canadian cities in the late 1950’s, and were both harsh critics and opponents of the New York urban expressway builder, Robert Moses.  However, when it came to the issue of finding a way to “humanize” urban environments, and cure “the urban plague”, Jacobs and Mumford were each others primary critics.

Jane Jacobs, remembered for her most well known book, “The Death and Life Of Great American Cities”, blasted and ridiculed conventional, well excepted norms of city planning.  She, for example, questioned the use and creation of parks, and saw them as dangerous places for children to play.  To Jacobs, safety was a main issue that made communities livable, and emphasized sidewalks, as possibly the safest, best places for children to play, because safety comes from “eyes on the street.” Jane Jacobs also attacked city beautification attempts by people like Ebenezer Howard, and saw the “Radiant Garden City Beautiful” ideas as the precursor to the “suburban sprawl. She chided the building of superblocks, and believed focus should be put on creating shorter blocks to “enhance pedestrian activity.”

Lewis Mumford on the other hand was an advocate for superblocks, and wanted socializing and market areas to be away from traffic.  Mumford agreed with many of Jane Jacobs views in “The Death and Life Of Great American Cities”, but wrote the book was a ” mingling of sense and sentimentality, mature judgements and schoolgirl howlers.” While Mumford was not a fan of the “Garden city” planning effort, he did believe it gave the city order, which is better than disorder. Mumford thought Jacobs was obsessed with violence and safety, and saw her as ignoring the things that truly caused the problems in a city, such as overgrowth, materialism, congestion and “insensate disorder.”

I believe Jane Jacobs made several good points and admire her for challenging the commonly excepted beliefs in urban planning.  Perhaps things like parks aren’t quite safe places for us to let our children play in, however, I don’t see why parks can’t be just as safe as sidewalks, assuming the same amount of supervision takes place between parent and child.  To me, I agree with Lewis Mumford, and see Jacobs as overemphasizing the safety of streets, and she tends to ignore a larger view of the pathologies of the city.  A more encompassing view of urban designs and planning would answer more questions rather than simply focusing on streets.  To her credit though, Friedrich Engels, in his article “The Great Towns”, showed the reader the terrifying reality of urban life in industrial London, when he simply walked around the city streets and recorded his observations.  So, I can’t completely disagree with Jacobs, because maybe a greater understanding of urban social problems can be inferred by focusing on something small and specific, like city streets.  Once again, I do agree with Mumford in the concept of superblocks, with “pedestrian-only enclaves” spread out throughout the city.  I believe this is where the heart of a city lies, and where the true “social drama” can be observed.

What Is A City?

To begin, Louis Wirth and Lewis Mumford, for the most part, have rather different views on what defines a city. However, even though they have different definitions of what a city is, many of their views aren’t necessarily conflicting. From a sociological view of urbanization, Wirth defines a city “as a relatively large, dense, and permanent settlement of socially heterogeneous individuals.” Wirth saw cities as having three main characteristics that would build an “urban way of life” and an “urban personality”: Population size, heterogeneity, and the density of the population. Wirth felt population size made for great cultural and social diversity, heterogeneity “complicates class structures”, and density forced everyone into being more diverse and builds a more “complex social structure.”

Lewis Mumford, on the other hand, emphasized different characteristics to define the city. Mumford strayed away from Wirth’s broader sociological view, and concentrated more on the people and the cultural and social interactions between them that constitute a city. Mumford believed heavily in the social drama of urbanized cities, and saw it as one of the defining aspects that make a city what it is. He saw the city as a beautiful physical form, as well as an intriguing wonderful social dwelling as. Mumford states, ” The city fosters art and is art; the city creates theater and is the theater…”

As for my view on what makes a city a city, I agree with both, finding my belief somewhere between both Wirth and Mumford. However, I tend to see things more as Lewis Mumford did. I do agree that you can’t ignore that population size, density, and heterogeneity all greatly contribute and help define an urbanized are as a city. Perhaps those things are what define the physical aspects of a city, something Mumford may not disagree with. But its important to not forget that every city depends on social interactions. A city is not simply a physical dwelling where people live. Without social interactions, and the division of labor, Mumford talks about, there would be no economic stimuli or social structure to support the city. Human beings make the city what it is by bringing their own unique culture and ways of doing things.

So, after Hurricane Katrina, could New Orleans still have been considered a city? According to Wirth’s definition, not necessarily. The city hardly had the size, density, or social and cultural diversity that it had before the storm. One thing it did have, however, was the social drama Mumford spoke so critically of. Neighbors bonding over rebuilding their neighborhoods, government officials pandering to crowds that order had been restored, while citizens screamed in outrage, feeling government abandoned and failed them. Post-Katrina New Orleans exemplified what Mumford meant by “the city creates the theater and is the theater.” So, in my opinion, post-Katrina New Orleans, even though it was harsh and only a fraction of itself at the time, was indeed a city because of the intense “social drama” still being felt today.

Social Murder in New Orleans and The Drive Thru Daiquiri Society

The twp pictures I chose I feel someway suit this week’s readings. However, for some reason, it wouldn’t let me paste the actual pictures, so I hope these links to them work.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/02/28/reliefworkers_wideweb__470×316,0.jpg

http://www.neworleansphotographs.com/nfq-NO-0000188.htm

The first picture I posted is that of relief workers standing outside of a home they are helping to rebuild in the lower 9th ward.  I believe this picture reflects what Engels was writing about.  Engel writes “…the capitalists, seize everything for themselves, while to the weak many, the poor, scarcely a bare existence remains.”  In post-Katrina New Orleans, many areas of the city, such as the lower 9th ward, New Orleans East, just to name a few, still are practical ghost towns.  The sporadic signs of life and rebuilding going on are from one of two sources: residents in the area who are rebuilding their damaged homes themselves, or relief and charity workers renovating areas, such like the ones in the picture above.  The government, although supposedly committed to help in handouts of money, is nowhere in sight to help the people rebuild.  Is it their job to help in this way? Perhaps not.  The powerful and the rich in the metro area have hardly done anything to help. Maybe its not their job either. However, I feel in some way that this is what the working men in Engels article are referring to as “social murder.”  Perhaps it is not as strong of case as Engels discusses, considering we are not dealing with death and starvation, but homelessness, economic crisis, and the future of the greater metropolitan area of New Orleans are issues here that the bourgeoisie seem to be turning a blind eye too, just like Friedrich Engels discussed.  By the upper crust of New Orleans seemingly not admitting to the obvious social problems and crisis surrounding them, New Orleans may have quite a bit in common with the industrialized London.

The second photo is a great example of Jackson’s “drive-thru society.”  Don’t get me wrong, I’m the biggest fan of Lucky Dogs imaginable, and I firmly believe that walking around with a Lucky Dog and a hand grenade on a hot summer night on Bourbon, is a wonderfully surreal and enjoyable experience for anyone. However,  the Lucky Dog  stand is an example of our culture of convenience and excess.  People have become very accustomed to an “on demand” society.  If we’re hungry, we don’t want to sit down in a restaurant and order a meal. That takes time.  We need something in an instant. Hence Lucky Dog street vendors, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and hundreds of other venues for instant gratification.

New Orleans, more than most cities, encompasses what Jackson was referring to. Not only does our city have many of the trademarks of the evolving society that Jackson described, such as malls, large corporate super markets, trailers and mobile homes (far less now that FEMA took a good lot away), motels (many still with “hourly rates”), and a booming fast food industry, but New Orleans has several unique instant gratification, “drive thru” concepts.  Take a walk down Bourbon street and you’ll see dozens of “Drinks To Go” stands set up for the thousands in need of a quick fix.  Not only can you go into almost any convenient store or grocery store here and purchase a wide variety of liquor, a concept quite foreign to other US regions where a liquor store is needed to buy such goods, but here in The Big Easy we take pride in our drive thru daiquiri shops.  Bring your vehicle right up to the window, and in a few minutes, like magic, you’ll have an alcoholic beverage in hand.  This is incredibly interesting side effect of urbanization, seeing that people are willing to compromise their safety and the safety of others on the roads by having this small, rather pointless, convenience.  There are laws to govern the purchasing of such goods by means of a drive thru, however its hard to believe they adequately hold up, or make any bit reasonable and rationale sense.  There is no doubt that New Orleans is a cornerstone of what Kenneth Jackson meant by “drive thru society.”

Getting to know Me…and The Dark Knight

Ok, so here is my first blog post. Not only my first blog for school, but also my first ever blog in general. I never had a blog before. I’ve always felt that no one would really care what I thought, and thats probably true. Now that I have one, people still won’t, nor should they, care what my views/feelings/complaints about the world are. However, I am being graded on it, so let the rambling cease, and the blogging commence.

My name is Patrick Tyrone Field. I was born and raised here in N’awlins and I am an Urban Studies major at UNO, and I’m planning on graduating sometime in the next 10 years. I just finished paramedic school, and after working as an EMT with 911 for the past two years, I’m ready to pass the test to finally become a paramedic, a small, but definite dream of mine.

The last movie I saw that prominently featured a city was “The Dark Knight”. The city was, of course, the fictional urban sprawl of Gotham City, a dark, dreary metropolis that seems to favor the seedy slime that control it rather than the honest citizens that live in it. The city was portrayed as one so overcome with corruption and crime that it was quickly becoming unsalvageable. To me, the city was beautiful, mainly because it was shot in Chicago, an actual city that I do love. Even though it was filled to the brim with freaks, crooks, and corrupt politicians, I would love to live in Gotham. I feel as though I’d be right at home.