Feature Article: “America’s Greatest Comeback Story” and the Forgotten Neighborhood
“AM E RI CA’S GRE ATEST COMEBAC K STORY” AND TH E FO RGOT T EN NEIGHBORHOOD Fifteen years post-hurricane Katrina, has the lower ninth ward recovered?
KATIE KOFFMAN Koffman is a second-year Master of City and Regional Planning student at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying climate change adaptation and environmental planning. Her research focuses on resilience planning and natural hazards in coastal North Carolina. She
also has a master’s degree in Environmental Anthropology from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Spanish from Miami University (Ohio).
ABSTR ACT On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, creating widespread devastation and displacing thousands of residents. In the aftermath of the storm, white neighborhoods recovered and gained population. The city regained its status as a tourist destination. However, Black neighborhoods, such as the Lower Ninth Ward, still have a long way to go 15 years after the storm. The history of the social, environmental, and economic vulnerabilities superimposed on non-white residents from the inception of New Orleans set-up the uneven recovery postKatrina. In this article, I demonstrate how the historic conditions of the Lower Ninth Ward are connected to the stymied recovery and the injustices residents faced in the subsequent 15 years. The disinvestment of Black New Orleanians implies that the Lower Ninth Ward has never recovered. Historically discriminatory housing practices prevented residents from rebuilding their homes. Decades of inequitable and racist policies favored white homeownership and prevented Black residents’ access to loans. The city segregated its neighborhoods based on wealth and elevation, relegating immigrants and Black residents to low-lying areas that flooded frequently. This resulted in low housing values, which impacted how much Black residents received to rebuild their homes post-Katrina. Only 37% of the 14,000 pre-storm residents returned to the Lower Ninth Ward. Those who have returned are susceptible to environmental hazards, economic instability, and a lack of basic, reliable public services. 34
