Resilient New Orleans by kirstywilson12

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F ig. 2: New Or l eans F ig . 2: Pain tin g of P i rat e ’s All e y, Ne w Orle ans

E xecuti ve S u m m ary

This repor t aims to analyse and evaluate the resilience strategy developed and adopted by the city of New Orleans in 2015, evaluating it against an original critical framework which has been designed to assess resilience. Resilience is a key factor towards achieving sustainability in cities, explored throughout the repor t, and evidenced within its inter twined role within the Sustainable Development Goals. It was however impor tant at the outset of the repor t to study and highlight the differences between resilience and sustainability. Within the repor t the subject of resilience has been studied and defined by referenced sources, fundamentally b eing divided into two leading categories: physical and social resilience. These categories were therefore studied in relation to their effect on cities which were lacking each type of resilience, as well as their role within the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It was discovered that both types of resilience were critical and of equal impor tance to the successful functioning of a sustainable city. Therefore, this repor t focuses on both types of resilience, each which are outlined within the city of New Orleans’ roadmap to becoming a resilient city. Once a solid under standing of resilience had been established, a critical framework to analyse resilience in New Orleans was required. Therefore, three existing frameworks which assess resilience were studied to inform creating a new framework for New Orleans. Based on the research gained studying the various frameworks, an original framework was developed, consulting the existing goals set out within the ‘Resilient New Orleans Roadmap’. The original framework produced, combined those studied alongside the Sustainable Development Goals, using the defined categories of social and physical resilience to establish the foundations for the original framework , tailored towards evaluating resilience within New Orleans. The repor t therefore aspires to critically evaluate the success of New Orleans implementation of their resilient strategy, through creating a unique framework which assesses resilience. The framework will then ultimately be utilised as a tool, in order to analyse the strengths and weaknesses within New Orleans realisation of their roadmap.

Wo rd Count : 3,980

C onte nts Pa g e Nu m b e r s

1 .0

I ntro d uc ti o n

- The C limate E me rge nc y

1-2

1.2

- C itie s and the Cl i mate E me rge nc y

1-2

1.3

- Wha t is Re s i l i e nc e ?

1.4

- Fac tor s of a Re s i l i e nt Ci ty

1.5

- Re silie nce vs . S u s tai nabi l i ty

1.6

- Ne w Orleans as a Ci ty of Re s i l i e nc e

2 .0

Sus ta i na bl e D e ve l o p m e n t Goals

2.2

- S oc ial and P hy s i c al Re s i l i e nc e w i thi n the Su s t a i n a b l e Devel o p m en t G oa l s

7- 8

2.3

- Me asurin g S o c i al and P hy s i c al Re s i l i e nc e

9-10

3 .0

Ana l y s i n g E x i sti n g Fra m e works - Me thod of A s s e s s me nt

3.2

- Wha t is a F r ame wo r k ?

3.3

- S ustainabl e De ve l opme nt G oal s as an o ver a rch i n g f r a m ewo r k

3.4

- Fra m e wo r k 1

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- Fra m e wo r k 2

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- Fra m e wo r k 3

4 .0

D evel o p i n g a n E va l u a ti o n Framework - How to De ve l o p a F r ame wo r k

4.2

- C om pa rin g E xi s ti ng F r ame wor k s

4.3

- Origina l F r ame wo r k

4.4

- We ightin g Sy s te m

4.5

- S e le c tion of Dr i ve r s and I ndi c ato r s

5 .0

T h e C i t y of N e w Orl e a n s

5.2

- Disaste r s i n Ne w Or l e ans

5.3

- Re a c hing a Re s i l i e nc e Roadmap

5.3

5.4

- Re silie nce i n Ne w Or l e ans

5.4

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As s e s s m e n t of N e w Orl e a ns as a Res ilient City - He alth a nd We l l -be i ng

29-32

6.2

- Ec onom y and Commu ni ty

33-36

6.3

- Infra struc tu re and E nvi ronme nt

3 7- 42

6.4

- Le ade r sh i p and A c ti on

4 3 - 46

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C o ncl u si o n

4 7- 48

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Re fe ren c e s - B ibliogra phy

8.2

- Figure s

1.1

2.1

3.1

4.1

5.1

6.1

8.1

- Wha t a re the S u s tai nabl e De ve l o pme nt G oa l s ?

- B a c kgrou nd

4 5-6

7- 8

16 1 7- 22

2 3 - 24 5.2

F ig . 3: Fron t cover of t h e Re s i l i e nt Ne w Orle ans Ro a d m a p

1 .0 Introdu ct ion 1.1 T h e Cl i m a te Em e rge n cy The Climate Crisis the world is facing affects and connects us all across the globe. In 2021 the aver age global temperature increased by over 1-degree pre-industrial records, for the seventh consecutive year (United Nations, 2022). Increasing temperatures, heightened emissions and rising sea levels are just three of the many effects the world is facing within the climate crisis. The way we are living is unsustainable, and already causing harmful damages to towns, cities, and landscapes across the world . How cities respond to the climate emergency is a profound challenge: what will be the consequences for our lives and urban environment if or when these effects increase fur ther?

1.2 Ci ti e s an d t h e C l i m a te Emergen c y Cities are not only the leading cause for much of the responsibility within the climate crisis, due to over two thirds of the world’s population living in an urban context (United Nations, 2018), but they are also leading the way in tackling the climate emergency which we face. The Paris Agreement 2016 was created to address climate change and the situation we are confronting, establishing a plan and goals to follow moving for ward (United Nations, 2022). While these goals have been set nationally, some cities are already feeling the effects of climate change and are required to adapt now in order to sur vive, they must become resilient.

Co untrie s w hic h h ave de c l are d a c l i mate e me rgen cy

C o u n t r i es wh i ch h a ve pa r t i a l l y d ecl a red a cl i m a te e m e rg e n cy

F ig. 4: Wor l d m ap hi g hl i g hti ng c o u ntri e s w hi c h ha v e de c l a re d a c l i m a t e e m e rge n c y 1

F ig. 5 : Bi rds eye phot og ra p h of Ne w Orl e a ns a f te r H u r r i c a n e Kat r i n a i n 20 0 5 2

1.3 W h a t i s Re s i l i e n ce ? “City resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to sur vive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience”. (Resilient New Orleans, 2015). There are two main types of resilience: physical and social, these individually effect cities in different manor s. Both however can be defined as: the actions which are taken following an event, and the subsequent development which occur s in response to the event. In regard to physical resilience, cities of ten must become resilient or adapt to change due to natural disaster s, such as cyclones or tsunamis, which can destroy entire communities. A common example given is how cities can build resilience to climate change by investing or improving their infrastructure. Social resilience is u sually not as visible, it is of ten rooted and sparked from political or government disagreements, typically resulting in increased violence or social exclusivity. “A city’s resilience depends on its physical assets as well as its policies, social capital and institutions”. (ARUP, 2014). Becoming resilient can be a long and expensive process, as to be resilient, cities must implement factories which allow them to be flexible, and adaptive to change. A resilient city remains liveable, as their planning gives them the ability to grow with their ever-changing environment. In order to be sustainable, cities must be resilient, able to change and adapt with their context.

Wit hou t phys ic a l res ilience?

F i g . 6 : E x am p l e i n Ne w O r l e a n s of wh at c a n h a p p en wi t h ou t p h y s i c a l re s i l i e n c e

Wit hou t s oc ia l res ilience?

F i g . 7 : E x am p l e i n N e w O r l e a n s of wh at c a n h a p p en wi t h ou t s oc i a l re s i l i e n c e 3

1.4 Fac tor s of a Re s i l i e n t C i ty

F ig. 8: N ec essar y fac to r s of b o th s o c i a l a nd p hy si c a l re s i l i e n c e

1.5 Re si l i e n ce v s . S u s t a i n a b i lit y As resilience cover s such a broad topic from social to physical and can incorporate each of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the topic, it is impor tant to study and under stand the difference between sustainability and resilience. Both topics have many similarities, at times referred to as ‘different sides of the same coin’. (Barella Centre, 2017). Sustainability is by far the more commonly used term, with ‘ever y thing’ now targeting becoming ‘sustainable’, however the term ‘resilience’ is now becoming more acknowledged. Achieving sustainability and resilience are both hard tasks, however, the fundamental difference between the two subjects is that when something is sustainable it has achieved its goal, the structures are in place to maintain the overall system, of being ‘sustainable’. Whereas being resilient means being designed to be flexible, having the ability to withstand various pressures and ‘bouncing back’ or rever ting to a stable form, for example, a stress ball would be considered a resilient object, forces are applied to alter the shape, yet it is able to return to its basic form. Therefore, the topics share many similar traits, however the fundamental difference between the two is that sustainability requires a system which can keep ‘ticking over ’, however a resilient system must be flexible, responding to the various obstacles it encounter s along the way. 4

1.6 N e w Or l e a n s a s a C i t y of Res ilien c e In 2013, New Orleans was recognised by the Rockefeller Foundation as a resilient city, becoming one of one hundred resilient cities chosen globally to improve their resilience. New Orleans can be identified and ‘qualif y’ as a city of resilience due to the strength by which it adapted af ter the vast natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The city was devastated by the hurricane, with their flood defence and federal levee system failing, flooding over 80% of the city and unfor tunately losing over 1,800 lives. This was detrimental to the city and what was lef t behind, not only suffering from physical resilience, but also acting as a catalyst for the decrease in social resilience. However, it is apparent that New Orleans is a resilient place, with resilient citizens, as they have set out a strategy (in par tner ship with the Ro ckefeller Foundation) within a detailed roadmap focusing on rebuilding the city “better and stronger than before” (M. Landrieu, 2015, quoted in Resilient New Orleans), targeting both their physical and social resilience, in an attempt to restore the city and ‘bounce back’ to a thriving New Orleans.

F ig. 9: Effec t s of a t orna d o hi tti ng Ne w Orl e a ns o n t h e 2 2n d M a rc h 20 22

As recent as the 22nd of March 2022, New Orleans was hit by a severe tornado, killing at least one per son and damaging many areas. The tornado lef t thousands without power and damaged many areas which were the wor se effected by Hurricane Katrina, such as the lower 9th ward as seen pictured. This dramatic event demonstrates how New Orleans can be considered a city of resilience, as it regularly faces big challenges such as frequent tornadoes. Hence, it has worked on implementing plans to have in place, creating the ability to quickly bounce back , seen in the figures opposite, when areas of the cities French Quar ter s were damaged by Hurricane Ida in 2021, but able to reopen areas the following weekend, due to the effectiveness of their Resilience Strategy. 5

F ig. 10: Frenc h Quar te r s i n N e w Orl e a ns p ri o r to H u r r i c a n e Id a

F ig. 11 : Frenc h Quar te r s i n Ne w Orl e a ns d e mo nstra t i n g t h e d am a ge of Hu r r i c an e Ida

2 . 0 S ustai n abl e D e ve l o p m e n t G o a l s 2 . 1 W h a t are t h e S u s t a i n a bl e Developmen t G oa ls ? The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the ‘Global Goals’, were adopted by The United Nations in 2015. They act as a ‘blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all’ (United Nations, 2015), together aiming to achieve peace and prosperity globally by 2030. The goals agreed upon by 193 world leader s of developed and developing countries are commitments to ending extreme pover ty, inequality, and climate change.

2 . 2 Re si l i e n ce w i t h i n t h e S u st a in a ble Developmen t G oa ls Viewing the SDGs in terms of resilience, it was discovered that each of the 17 goals relates to resilience in some form. Therefore, the SDGs have been divided into different categories of resilience, social, physical and a combination of both types. The defined types of resilience can be seen in fig 13. By splitting the SDGs into the different types of resilience it gives an example of the scale of the wide-ranging topic it is, and ever y thing which is required to truly be resilient.

F i g . 12: S u s ta i na b l e De v e l o p m e n t Goa l s

P h y s i ca l Re s i l i e n ce

S oc ia l Res ilien c e

C o m bi n e d S o c ia l a n d P h y s i ca l Re s i l i e n ce

F ig. 13: Sust ai nabl e De v e l o p me nt G o a l s hi g hl i g hti ng t h e t y p e of re s i l i e n c e e a c h g oa l i s re l at e d t o 8

2 . 3 Me asu rin g S o ci a l a n d P hys ic a l Res ilien c e The diagram below demonstrates where each of the SDGs would be placed on a scale, between social and physical resilience. This makes it clear where each of the goals fit within the spectrum of resilience, demonstrating how some are strongly socially resilient compared with those which are physically resilient or an equal combination of the two.

S o ci a l

F ig. 14: Sust ai nabl e D e v e l o p me nt G o a l s d i sp l a y e d o n a s p e c t r u m , de m on s t r a t i n g t h e i r pos i t i on b e t we e n s oc i a l a n d p h ysica l resilien ce

Ph y s i ca l

3 . 0 Anal ysi n g Ex i st i n g F r a m e w o r k s 3 . 1 Me th od of A s s e s s m e n t This repor t aspires to critically assess New Orleans’ strategy in becoming a city of resilience. The result will be determined by how well the city per forms against a developed critical framework . This framework has been created through consulting a variety of existing frameworks which all consider resilien ce in a distinct way.

3 . 2 W h a t i s a F r a m e wo r k ? A framework is constructed of driver s and indicator s and can be used as a tool to evaluate the chosen city and its progress against it. The framework provides the platform to assess and identif y the cities strengths and weaknesses against referenced sources. These are commonly used in order to track cities progress throughout implementing their roadmap or strategy, as it gives the ability to monitor the development and recognise achievements or vulnerabilities. Within this section, existing frameworks have been studied, consulting a variety of sources. This then contributes to the creation of a diver se, well-rounded, unique framework which con sider s a broad scope of indicator s, ensuring that a fair result can be achieved when using it as a tool to evaluate New Orleans.

3 . 3 S u stai n a bl e De ve l o pm e nt G oa ls a s a n Overa rc hin g Fra mewo r k Together the SDG’s create an international plan (or an overarching framework) which is h oped to ‘transform our world’ with a socially, env ironmentally, economically, and sustainable approach. The concept that the SDG’s act as a global framework for achieving sustainability, assigns the seventeen goals as driver s, each which would then have countless indicator s. The majority of goals have overlaps with one another and are all relatable to resilience in some form, either physical, social or a combination, (fig 14). However, the SDG’s which are most targeted towards physical or social resilience are: Physical

Social

9: industr y, innovation, and infrastructure

10: reduced inequalities

13: climate action

16: peace, justice and strong institutions

Therefore, these goals will help to inform the framework which is created in order to critically assess resilience within New Orleans. Each of the three frameworks studied within the chapter act as responses to this central global framework .

3 . 4 Fr a m e wo r k 1 | C i t y R A P The City Resilience Action Planning (City RAP) developed by the UN-Habitat was de veloped between 2015 and 2017 and can be utilised as a tool for measuring resilience. They have divided the document into five essential compo nents to defining a resilient city, described as ‘ the five pilla r s of resilience’ (UN-Habitat, 2018). These are: Urban Governance Urban Disaster Risk Management Urban Planning and Environment Urban Economy and Society Resilient Infrastructure and Basic Ser vices The tool was originally created for small to medium sized cities in sub-Saharan Africa, as a device to build targeted resilience against natural risks. The framework addresses each of the five topics across four key phases from under standing the concepts to implementing action. Within each of the main driver s, these can be broken down fur ther into various indicator s which can be used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of any city’s per formance.

Fi g. 1 5: Ci ty R AP 5 p i l l a r s of re s i l i e nc e 12

3 . 5 F ram e wo r k 2 | C i t y Re s i l ien c e In dex The City Resilience Index was formed by ARUP in par tner ship with The Rockefeller Foundation in 2014. It was developed to measure the success of resilience within cities worldwide. The framework was used by The Rockefeller Foundation within their global 100 Resilient Cities project. The framework is broken down into four leading categories: -

Health and well-being

Economy and society

Infrastructure and environment

Leader ship and strategy

These headings set the baseline for the framework for ‘what matter s most for making cities more resilient’ (ARUP, 2014). The categories can then be split into 52 fur ther indicator s but can be distilled and summarised into 12 goals which a resilient city should be. The framework acknowledges that ever y city is uniq ue, and frameworks need to be tailored to the specific city, but the overall structure of their framework “provides a lens through which the complexity of cities and the numerous factor s of a city’s resilience can be under stood” (ARUP, 2014). The index is not designed to evaluate a cities progress towards resilience, but is designed to generate a dialogue, encouraging a deeper under standing of resilience for future development.

F i g . 16 : A R UP f ra me w o rk, re l e van t d r i ve r s a n d i n di c at or s of a re s i l i e n t c i t y 13

3 . 6 F ram e wo r k 3 | O EC D The third framework has been developed by OECD, focusing on building in risk and resilience within accompanying strategies which cities propose. The framework revolves around under standing and contextualising risks in order to suitably address them within their roadmaps. It aims to better integrate effective approaches ‘to strengthen people and systems’ resilience’. (OECD, 2016). The framework is structured in four main sections: -

Economy

Society

Governance

Environment

These topics therefore create the basis for the OECD’s framework for ensuring resilience is achieved and that cities have the ability ‘to absorb, recover and prepare for future shocks.’ (OECD, 2016). The framework d efines driver s and indicator s and how these can then be identified within an urban context.

F i g . 17 : OE CD f ra me w o r k , n e c e s s a r y t h e m e s of a re s i l i e n t c i t y 14

4 . 0 D evel opi n g A C ri t i c a l F r a m e w o r k 4. 1 H ow to De ve l o p a F r a m e work As previously stated, resilience within ever y city will be unique, and measured differently dependent upon its context, i.e., what is resilient in a UK city can be ver y different to what would be resilient in an African city, or a wetland city in the USA. Therefore, this section explores creating an original framework to assess New Orleans based on knowledge specifically gained from the driver s and indicator s through studying the existing three frameworks.

4. 2 Com pa r i n g t h e Exi s t i n g Fra meworks It was discovered that each framework studied had similar foundations and driver s, and therefore could easily be compared, and combined into a single structure which encompassed all aspects and their qualities. Each driver was fir stly compared to the most relevant pillar of sustainability, to collate and view key themes and overlaps between the frameworks. As there were many similarities and overlaps between each of the frameworks studied, four equivalent headings were used within creating a new original framework , these were: ‘health, and well-being’, ‘economy and community’, ‘environment and infrastructure’ and ‘action and governance’. The diagram below then clearly demonstrates how the original framework was developed, incorporating each of the existing framework’s driver s into the four central headings.

F ig. 18: Di agr am dem o ns tra ti ng ho w the o ri g i na l f ram e wor k wa s ge n e r at e d t h rou gh c om b i n e d t h e f r a m e wor k s s t u died

4. 3 Ori g i nal F r a m e wo r k Once the main headings had been established, they were then fur ther divided into key driver s, seen in fig 20. A s it is necessar y for a city to have both social and physical resilience, each chapter will be assessed equally. As all the themes remain relevant to a resilient city, key indicator s from each categor y will be evaluated, studying proposed actions set out within New Orleans Resilience Strategy and then evaluated and given a score based on evidence of their implementation within the city.

4. 4 S c or i ng Sy s te m Each categor y has been split into 3-5 indicator s (fig 21), resulting in 8 indicator s for both social and physical resilience. Each indicator will be analysed and then given a score between 1 and 5 dependant upon how successful there implementation has been. This data collected c an then demonstrate results as to how well New Orleans per forms against the designed framework . The table below (table 1) demonstrates the scoring system which will be used, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. A score of 20 for both social or physical would therefore suggest that the city is per forming at an aver age rate, working out at an average score of 3 per indicator. Therefore, scoring above or below 20 will determine whether the social or physical resilience within New Orleans is poor or excellent.

Tabl e 1: S c o re w e i g hti ng

4. 5 S e l e c ti o n of Dr i ve r s a n d In dic a tor s In order to create a framework , indicator s were chosen based on the three frameworks studied alongside ones which were outlined within the Resilient New Orleans roadmap. Several of these indicator s were highlighted within their roadmap as targets which the city wanted to achieve in order to become resilient. Therefore, using these goals as indicator s it is a fair assessment towards if the city is resilient as they are targets which the city is striving to achieve.

F i g . 19 : D i a gr a m s h owc as i n g t h e t h e m e s wi t h i n R e s i l i e n t Ne w O r l e a ns

en d re s u lt fram e wo r k fram e wo r k pr ac t i ce

of / in

F ig. 20: Di agr am dem o ns tra ti ng the c a te g o ri e s d ri v e r s , an d i n d i c a t or s of t h e or i gi n a l f r a m e wor k 19

20 20

Ta b l e 2: Ta bl e d e m on s t r at i n g t h e c at e g or i e s d r i ve r s , an d i n d i c a t or s of t h e o r ig in a l fr a m ewo r k

5 . 0 The C i ty of N e w O r l e a n s 5 . 1 Ba c kgro u n d New Orleans is a coastal city located on the Mississippi River in the Southeast of Louisiana in the United States. The cities’ location has brought both advantages and disadvantages, having a major por t and therefore fundamental role in impor ting, ser ving The Gulf Coast region as well as the rest of the United States, being the third most populated city in the countr y in 1840, due to the industr y. (United States Census Bureau, 1998). However, the coastal location also allows leaves the city vulnerable, being prone to flooding and extreme weather along The Gulf Coast. Therefore, the city has been forced to invest tremendous effor ts within their infrastructure, however this has not always been successful, sparking the need to become resilient.

5 . 2 D i saste r s i n N e w O r l e a n s New Orleans was hit by one of the most devastating and costliest disaster s in the histor y of the United States, when the city was battered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, destroying much of the Gulf Coast. The federal levee system which was in place to protect the city failed, flooding over 80% of the city and claiming over 1,800 lives. This unfor tunate event has not been the only disaster the city has faced, as in 2010 over 130 million gallons of crude oil spilt into the Gulf of Mexico, directly effecting New Orleans and remains one of ‘t he wor st en vironmental disaster s in world histor y’ (National Geographic, 2020). The full extents of New Orleans recover y from these tragedies, plus countless other hurricanes, are still unknown. It is a city which has faced some of the biggest challenges of any US city ever. However, it is a resilient place, full or resilient people, as together with The Rockefeller Foundation they have brought out a roadmap, aiming to ‘rebuild New Orleans better and stronger than before’ (M. Landrieu, 2015, quoted in Resilient New Orleans).

Fi g. 21 : Ma p of The Uni te d S ta te s of A m e r i c a s h owi n g Ne w O r l e a n s l oc a t i on on t h e c oas t

F ig. 22: Phot ogr aph s ho w i ng the e f f e c ts of the B P Oil S p i l l i n 2 0 1 0 on t h e c oas t of Ne w O r l e an s

F ig. 23: Phot ogr aph sho w i ng the e f f e c ts of H urri c a ne Kat r i n a on t h e c i t y i n 20 0 5

5 . 3 Re ac h i n g a Re s i l i e n ce Roa dma p Due to the frequency that New Orleans is affected by natural disaster s they have been compelled to bring out multiple road maps to addre ss the various scenarios, from rebuilding af ter hu rricanes to tackling climate change. Over the year s the city has therefore introduced several strategies as seen in fig 24, the diagram compares striking events with the response of strategies. However, in 2015 many of these strategies were combined and brought together to create ‘Resilient New Orleans’, an overarching strategy, which addresses many of the issues and combines them in one document, focusing on how New Orleans can become a resilient city.

F ig. 24: Ti mel i ne of ev e nts i n Ne w Orl e a ns, c o mp a ri n g m aj or e ve n t s a ga i n s t t h e c i t i e s re s pon s e 25

5 . 4 Re si l i e n ce Roa dm a p i n New Orlea n s “We are shaping the future New Orleans” (Resilient New Orleans, 2015). The environment in New Orleans is changing, they are confronting many climate related issues ahead of many other cities around the world due to their unique location and geography. With over one third of the city classed as wetlands and water levels continuing to rise significantly, it is unknown the challenges the city will face in the future. Therefore, the city have decided to be prepared for any thing thrown their way, asking themselves; “what must we do now to make the next generation [of New Orleanians] more equitable, more adaptable, and more prosperous?” (Resilient New Orleans, 2015). Therefore, in par tner ship with The Rockefeller Foundation, New Orleans have developed a resilience strategy which proposes bold actions, enabling the city to adjust to their transforming environment. Through investing in equity, and reliable systems, the city will be prepared to sur vive and bounce back from any future shocks. Creating a strategy which addresses resilience involves “designing to deal with the next event, rather than just assessing the last one. It means improving our cities today in ways that also make them better prepared for the risks of tomorrow”. (Resilient New O rleans, 2015). The city is ready to become an urban model for living with water and adapting to rapid environmental changes. (Resilient New Orleans, 2015). Within their resilience roadmap, the city set out their main goals and objectives in order to become both ph ysically and socially resilient in the future: “For our city, bein g resilient means more than levees holding back water and wetlands protecting us from storms. It means striking a balance between human needs and the environment that surrounds us while also combatting the chronic stresses of violence, pover ty, and inequality”. (M, Landrieu, 2015, quoted in Resilient New Orleans). The roadmap is divided into three sections: -

Adapt To Thrive

Connect To Oppor tunity

Transform City Systems

Each section of the roadmap features varies indicator s, some of which have been studied below in order to determine the success of both social and physical resilience within New Orleans. Each section focuses on many shor t-term actions which ove r time can achieve long-term goals.

Fig. 25: Events leading to the creation of Resilient New Orleans

F ig . 26: Fron t cover of t h e Re s il i e nt Ne w Orle ans Ro a d m a p

28 28

6 . 0 Assessm e n t o f N e w O r l e a n s a s a c i t y o f Re s i l i en ce 6 . 1 Hea l t h an d We l l - be i n g Imp or tan c e of H e a l t h a n d Well- bein g in t he roa dma p Ensuring the health and well-being of all residents who live and work in a city is key within its route to a chieving social resilience. It assesse s how proficient cities are in ensuring all the residents meet their basic needs, i.e., food, water, and shelter, while suppor ting communities with quality education, sufficient medical care and diver se oppor tunities. Health and well-being within a city is cr ucial and revolves around the citizens, it is evident that ‘happiest cities’ to live in with diver se communities such as Copenhagen or Toronto also per form well when compared to social resilience. (World Happiness Repor t, 2020).

He a l th an d We l l - be i n g i n N ew Orlea n s In New Orleans, the Health Depar tment is striving to include “health in all policies” in order to improve the health and well-being within the city. (Resilient New Orleans, 2015). As health and well-being cover s a broad range of topics, New Orleans is tackling many aspects of improving the health and well-being of its citizens within many of its actions outlined within the roadmap. Together, they are aiming to create a safe city for all, without social divides or exclusion, where residents can embrace various oppor tunities and are connected to one another through sustainable transpor t.

Fig. 27: Radar diagram demonstrating how well the city has performed against the health and well-being measurement of resilience.

Fig. 28: Sketch proposal showing the vision of embracing sustainable travel within the streets

Fig. 29: Example of this vision in practice in the neighbourhood of Algiers

Tab l e 3: Tabl e analy si ng the p ro p o se d a c ti o ns a nd i m p l e m e n t a t i on of t h e s e ac t i on s , j u s t i f y i n g t h e s c ore g i ve n f o r ea ch in d ica t o r

32 32

6 . 2 Econo m y an d C om m u n i t y Imp or tan c e of Eco n o m y a n d Commu n it y in t he roa dma p Economy and community within a resilient city focus on additional impor tant roles within residents lives once their basic needs have been met through resilient health and well-being. It focuses on the financial stability of the city, local community suppor t and strong identity within the community. The main driver s within this categor y of resilience concentrate on culture, heritage, belonging and strength, as having both a strong, reliable economy but also a strong, tight-knit community is fundamental to achieving social resilience.

E c on om y an d C o m m u n i t y i n New Orlea n s New Orleans now has a diver se economy, which was heavily reliant upon oil and gas prior to Hurricane Katrina. However, it has become ‘encouragingly diver sified’ (The Rockefeller Foundation, 2022) making th e fir st steps to better integrate all par ts of the community. The resilience of the community and economy of New Orleans was tested af ter the initial effor ts to rebuild and stabilise af ter Hurricane Katrina and then in 2010 with the BP Oil Spill disaster. The catastrophe threatened damage to the l ocal economy, community, and environment. While the long-term effects of the disaster s are stil l unknown, New Orleans made a specific effor t to therefore target their economy and community to be sure it could be resilient and bounce back in retaliation to any future shocks or events which may occur.

Fig. 30: Radar diagram demonstrating how well the city has performed against the economy and community measurement of resilience. 33

Fig. 31: Photograph of the Lower Ninth Ward neighbourhood before and after Hurricane Katrina, demonstrating the strength within the economy and community to rebuild the neighbourhood.

Fig. 32: Photograph of the hiring locally scheme, encouraging people into employment

Tabl e 4: Tabl e anal y s i ng the p ro p o se d a c ti o ns a nd i m p l e m e n t a t i on of t h e s e a c t i on s , j u s t i f y i n g t h e s c ore gi ve n f o r ea ch in d ica t o r 35

36 36

6 . 3 Acti on an d Le ade rs h i p Imp or tan c e of A ct i o n a n d L ea der s hip in t he roa dma p Cities which have the ability to plan and implement change quickly, have the capacity to become more resilient as they can be prepared for any future shocks which they may face. By planning for events before they happen, cities will be ready and more efficient to deal with various sc enarios. Therefore, action and leader ship are a key driver within a resilient roadmap in order to ensure cities are prepared for any potential eve nts, from natural disaster s to social inequalities and are able to rapidly rebound to a dependable state.

Ac ti on an d L e a de r s h i p i n N ew Orlea n s As flooding was always a common issue within New Orleans, the city had plans and actions in place to mitigate against floods. However, when one aspect of the system failed it created ‘a hole’ within their overall defence system, leading to 80% of the city flooding and hundreds of lives being lost. Therefore, the city learnt by having an alternative disaster plan in place it could have prevented such drastic flooding and loss of life to the city. Therefore, within their resilience strategy it was impor tant that New Orleans targeted action and leader ship, as having strong leader ship and governance in place, it will allow the city to be ready to ‘bounce back’ in the wake of another event. Through learning from their past and implementing long-term strategies, of disaster plans o r working with other professionals, it allows them to be more ready to confront natural disaster s in the future.

Fig. 33: Radar diagram demonstrating how well the city has performed against 37

the action and leadership measurement of resilience.

examples of action and leader ship Fig. 34: Photograph of an ‘Evacuspot’ one of the many implementations the city has employed through their disaster plan

Tabl e 5: Tabl e anal ys i ng the p ro p o s e d a c ti o ns a nd i m pl e m e n t at i on of t h e s e ac t i on s , j u s t i f y i n g t h e s c ore gi ve n f or ea ch in d ica t o r

40 40

6 . 4 Infr a st ru c tu re an d E n v i r o n m e n t Imp or tan c e of In fr a s t r u ct u re a n d En viron men t in t he roa dma p The infrastructure and environment of a place is arguably the most impor tant factor towards being physically resilient. It encapsulates all types of infrastructure which are in place to defend and protect cities from any threats. The reliability and dependability of the infrastructure is critical to withstanding any shocks the city may face, with a par ticular emphasis on extreme weather and natural disaster s. For infrastructure and the environment to achieve resilience, they must be designed to tolerate and maintain extreme conditions, which can then quickly snap back to ‘normal’ conditions.

Infrastru c tu re a n d En vi ro n men t in New Orlea n s It was the failure of the infrastructure of the levees in New Orleans which was the number one culprit to over 80% of the city being submerged by water. Therefore, moving for ward with their Resilience Roadmap, huge investments have been proposed to strengthen their infrastructure, in the hope that similar disaster s can be aver ted in the future. Many of the proposed actions therefore tackle the reinforcement of the infrastructure across the city reviewing the transpor t system, flood defence and green infrastructure etc.

Fig. 35: Radar diagram demonstrating how well the city has performed against the infrastructure and environment measurement of resilience.

Fig. 36: Photograph of the levee wall failing in Gentilly, after Hurricane Katrina

Fig. 37: Photograph of one of the many levee walls restored through funding to protect the city

Tabl e 6: Tabl e analy si ng the p ro p o se d a c ti o ns a nd i m pl e m e n t at i on of t h e s e a c t i on s , j u s t i f y i n g t h e s c ore g i ve n f o r ea ch in d ica t o r

44 44

7 . 0 C oncl u si on

“ The world has witnessed a great comeback stor y. New Orleans is one of the fastest growing major American cities.” (M. Landrieu, 2015, quoted in Resilient New Orleans). Since Resilient New Orleans was launched in 2015, over 90% of the original 41 actions which were outlined within the roadmap have been star ted with many already complete and making a difference within the city. By taking time prior to creating the roadmap to under stand truly what the city needs to achieve resilience has benefitted New Orleans greatly, with the majority of the indicator s studied scoring above average when analysing their progress. The city, in par tner ship with The Rockefeller Foundation has successfully defined what is needed for a resilient New Orleans, by forming par tner ships with various different companies it has allowed New Orleans to develop in depth strategies for tackling their biggest issues, such as climate action and housing equality. In conclusion, through developing an original framework with i ndicator s taken directly from the Resilient New Orleans roadmap and assessing their progress, it can be found that New Orleans can be identified as a resilient city, scoring 62 out of a possible 80. As stated throughout the repor t, there are different forms of re silience, physical and social, while both are nece ssar y to achieving resilience, many cities are stronger in one categor y. Due to the frequency and intensity of the natural disaster s over the last few decades, much of New Orleans funding and grants has been funnelled into strengthening their physical resilience. This is evident by looking at the results for each type of resilience studied, the scores reflect that New Orleans is more physically resilient achieving 35/40 compared to the social resilience scoring 27/40. However, indicator s for both physical and social resilience are efficient in confirming that New Orleans can be classified as a resilient city.

Fig. 38: Radar diagra

am comparing each of the categories of the framework studied with the individual indicator scores

8 . 0 Refer e n c e s 8 . 1 Bi b l i ogr a ph y

47 37

48 38 48

8 . 2 F i gu re s

50 50