New Orleans: A Model 21st Century Cross-American Water City?

Abstract

Much has been accomplished – and much debated– since Hurricane Katrina made landfall outside of New Orleans in 2005. There have been many successes – and many failures – in regards to the recovery, rebuilding and resiliency of the unique“Cross-American” port city. Social, economic and environmental justice issues have been brought to the forefront, in the wake of an unprecedented human-altered “natural” disaster. This paper will not attempt to regurgitate what has been critiqued and promulgated about New Orleans in relation to status quo rebuilding. Rather, the paper will focus on water management demands, efforts and proposals since the storm; and, how these water-centric efforts have challenged existing decision-making regimes, in turn advocating for new governance partnerships, funding streams and integrative design methodologies.