New Orleans Solution
by Jon Shea
20 September 2005
I’m very disappointed at how little discussion has taken place on whether or how to rebuild New Orleans. If I’m ever in a car accident, I’m sure as hell going to see if it’s cheaper to buy a new car than it is to fix my wrecked car.
And if my car is just going to wreck again the next time a hurricane comes through, then I’d have to work that into the equation too.
Vox Baby! and Becker-Posner both spend some time on the math, if anyone is interested.
I’m going to skip to my original thought: Why don’t we just punt on the whole dikes and flooding problem in New Orleans? Leave the place flooded. Write off the basements of the skyscrapers, and all the low lying houses (which probably only had poor people living in them anyway). Refurbish what is still above water. Build some kind of public transportation. Call it done. Like Venice with a football stadium.
Sep 20, 01:50 PM
I agree with you completely—specifically, while I’m happy to contribute reasonable amounts of time and money to the problem of helping to resettle the people displaced by the storm, I am not at all prepared to spend billions of dollars rebuilding the damaged areas. Even when they first built New Orleans, they knew it was a dangerous place to be. Do we really want to go through all that, just to do it again in 25 years? Not while I’m a voting citizen. Even if we take it as an argumentative given that the cost is going to be paid out, I’d rather spend the billions on resettlement. At least that’s not like buying swampland in Florida.
Sep 21, 12:35 AM
The second thing on the list of potential good things to come out of this is the relocation of New Orleans, not a return to a situation which just proved immensely problematic to say the least. (the first was a downturn for bush’s approval)
I can imagine it might be a positive talking point for a politician to “rebuild New Orleans”, bringing it back to its “former glory”. Despite that, I can’t imagine that anyone would really see it as a viable, long-term option to return to a city a) a fair amount of which is below sea level, b) most of which is below lake level, and c) whose main enemy is only increasing in strength (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20050912/hurricanes.html).
Take a lesson from Vallmeyer, folks. (http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/top/e11sympathy.htm)
sorry for the URLs & not links…
Sep 21, 12:42 PM
Call it done. Like Venice with a football stadium.
Venice already has a stadium: Stadio Pierluigi Penzo.
Go Venezia!
Having drained all the water out of New Orleans, we won’t have a chance to try this little experiment of yours out, Jon. Until Friday, at least.
Place your bets: Rita v. Katrina
FITE!