New Orleans Architecture and the rebuilding process

The city of New Orleans was devastated by the consequences of Hurricane Katrina. The breaking of the levees due to the storm surge caused an estimated 80% of the city to flood with some neighborhoods getting as much as twenty feet of water. Fortunately, many of New Orleans oldest and most historic neighborhoods were mildly damaged. Other areas of historic importance to the culture of New Orleans, such as, Treme and Mid-City were destroyed. The people of the city are eager to rebuild, but it is important that they try to maintain the beautiful architecture for which New Orleans is known. Many Historic Preservationists are now working within the city in order to restore these neighborhoods instead of tearing them down.

New Orleans is a city that is noted among many scholars for its vernacular architecture. There are many architectural styles that are unique to the city these include: Creole Cottage, American Townhouse, Creole Townhouse, Raised Center-Hall Cottage or Villa, Shotgun House and Double-Gallery House. You can learn about the different architectural styles through the [http://www.prcno.org Preservation Resource Center] . As people begin the process of rebuilding they must become aware of rules, regulations and programs that may affect homeowners' plans to rebuild. Some programs that are in place will deal specifically with the historic preservation of the city, while others will focus on getting the residents back to the city.

Some neighborhoods are regulated by the Historic District Landmarks Commission and the commissions approval is needed in order to make any physical changes to the houses. This has been a factor in the delay of the rebuilding process. Some residents feel that they need to and have the right to demolish their homes. The Historic Preservationist believe that the houses can and will be saved. They are making an effort to preserve homes that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places by distributing grants of up to 45,000 to help owners with property in these areas.

[http://www.road2la.org The Road Home Program] was created by Governor Blanco, the Louisiana Recovery Authority, and the Office of Community Development in order to help residents of Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina return home. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As with many other programs there are eligibility requirements that must be fulfilled. The Road Home program is intended to bring residents back into the city and get them to rebuild by contributing funds up to $150,000 to people that are in need. The process is slow and tedious and has been criticized by residents and many others. As with many other plans and programs in available all applications should be carefully reviewed and researched. After the hurricane many people were taking advantage of the situation by duplicating funds that were made available to the victims. Some of the these people were caught and arrested, while others fared well. This in turn has led to consequences that all must suffer.

There have been other plans to [http://www.rebuildmodular.com/index.htm build modular] homes in some of Orleans Parish neighborhoods. The companies that bring the modular homes are modeling the houses after the different architectural styles found throughout the city. One such example can be found off of West End Blvd, close to the lake. There have been mixed reactions to this new way of rebuilding. People that are becoming impatient and want to come back home find that the modular homes are necessary. The homes are less expensive and take less time to build, therefore helping to bring residents back home quicker. The downside is that there are limited styles, colors, cabinets and floorings to choose from. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin who said he has checked out virtually every modular company in town, said the industry will play a vital role in the recovery because it makes housing affordable for thousands of hurricane victims who cannot shell out big bucks for a custom home (MOVE-IN SPECIALS; Factory-built homes could find a huge following in architecturally diverse New Orleans, By Jeffrey Meitrodt, staff writer). This is of course true and people should have the option of modular or custom-built housing, but I do not feel that this should be made available in historic neighborhoods. New Orleans is built on character and both natives and tourist love New Orleans architecture.

In order to understand the challenges that the city is dealing with one must understand the development of New Orleans, which is explained by Peirce E. Lewis and many other authors. The way in which area was primarily established and then built upon will help people to understand the scale of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. It will take many years for New Orleans to fully recove, but people must be patient. The damage was so devastating that the city is basically being built from scratch. There were many problems that the city dealt with prior to the hurricane and now there is an opportunity to do it right. The officials must take their time and evaluate the effects of their decisions or New Orleans could once again fail.

See also

* New Orleans the Making of an Urban Landscape
* [http://www.nutrias.org/guides/house/title.htm Wayne M. Everard's "Guide to Researching the History of Your House in New Orleans". New Orleans: New Orleans Public Library, 1986]
* Economic rebuilding through Louisiana's World Cultural Economic Forum.

External links

* [http://www.prcno.org Preservation Resource Center, New Orleans] : architectural styles.
* [http://specialcollections.tulane.edu/SEAAHome.html Southeastern Architectural Archive]