Not an official policy, this is the implicit policy of Mayor Nagin
with support by the LRA and the State and the Federal Governments. What does it mean to "
Rebuild Everywhere First." It sounds ridiculous. From the perspective of the infrastructure it is. You can't do everything first.
Every Commission that has looked at the problem has come to the same conclusion. Rebuild first on the "Sliver by the River." Fix the roads, schools, police and fire protection along the historic high ground along the river from the Bywater to Carrollton first. Focus on the undamaged areas in Algiers, along the Gentilly Ridge, parts of the Lakefront and along US90 in the east.
Lakeview, Gentilly, Mid City, Central City, the 7th Ward and especially the 9th Ward must wait for civic improvement until they can be made safe. There is nothing wrong with pioneering individualists who want to live in these areas. People have been building camps and homes outside the protected areas for centuries. They do so with the full knowledge that civic services are limited and should do so without further incentives from government.
Expand city services as the population grows. Rather than wasting efforts rebuilding infrastructure everywhere first, concentrate efforts on the most promising areas. If you don't follow this rule you risk unbearable tax increases and a resulting death spiral as wealth flees the city in the face of higher and higher costs of living.
Spend reconstruction money on relocating the people who want to live in New Orleans into neighborhoods where they will be safe from flooding even while the wetlands and levees are being rebuilt. Use incentives. Keep it fair. Avoid all appearances of a land grab.
What makes a city?
- First there must be commerce. Commerce brings people group together. Companies are formed to provide goods and services. Commerce brings money to the people so they can live.
- Living together, the people have needs for infrastructure. Utilities, transportation, schools, security, health care all derive from the needs of people living in an area. People look to public and private sector providers for their infrastructure needs.
"Rebuilding Everywhere First" gets it backward. Sure, if you "Rebuild it They Will Come." But when they get here will they find jobs? Without commerce the city is doomed.