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Reflections on President Obama's visit to New Orleans
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Chatter around the city picked up in the wake of President Obama's visit to New Orleans last week about the need to step up rebuilding efforts. Once again, the Ninth Ward was at the top of the list, considered by many as the poster child for the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. But should we continue to pay so much attention to the area, continuing to invest millions into rebuilding it to its former "glory"?
Without a doubt, we cannot and should not forget about the past or the people who lost their lives as a result of the catastrophe. However, I would argue against pouring money into rebuilding the Ninth Ward above all else that needs to be done in this city. For example, take NPR's article on the rebuilding efforts of current Ninth Ward residents, who want to build another school, as well as add shopping venues and grocery stores to the devastated area. According to that article, only 20% of the pre-Katrina population has returned to the area and it remains so uninhabitable that it lacks streets and road signs. Why would anyone want to move back, especially with their children?
This blog isn't about social justice - it's a reflection on international trade and business trends in and around the city of New Orleans. And business isn't about emotions - it's about making money. Current residents who rightfully complain about not having a drug or grocery store in the area, which are a necessity for life, wouldn't need to do so if only the area could support those businesses. The reason they haven't been rebuilt yet is because viability studies suggest that the current population cannot support them. In order for that to happen, more people would need to move to the Ninth Ward, and in order to attract more residents, millions would need to be spent to rebuild the basic infrastructure which was washed away by the storm. But does that make sense?
A little more than two years before the President's visit, another former world leader and laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize arrived in New Orleans to talk about the need for change. Former President of USSR Mikhail Gorbachev came to New Orleans along with members of Green Cross International, his non-profit organization, to stress the importance of rebuilding the area and the need to do so with renewable, "green" resources. The board of Green Cross International and the members of the organization were motley group and included elite business men and women at the helm of large international corporations. I was fortunate to take part in the event and listen to their reactions to all that they'd seen. All the individuals I spoke to following their visit to the Ninth Ward were shocked at the evidence of the disaster that stared them in the face, pledging to donate time and money to help rebuilding efforts around the city. Privately, however, many of them expressed concerns and reservations about rebuilding the Ninth Ward. It didn't make sense to funnel money away from rebuilding the city's center - the heart of business, tourism, and industry - toward the isolated Ninth Ward, which lay well below sea level and would get flooded the next time a large storm came ashore. Many wondered if there was even a need for it to be rebuilt, considering the decline in population in all other areas and the option for returning residents to move to other areas, which would be less likely to flood. Has anything changed over these last two years?
In order to survive, New Orleans needs to do a better job of attracting business investment to the area. But what business would want to establish itself in a city with the highest murder rate in the country? Likewise, in addition to bringing crime down, the city needs a complete rehaul of its infrastructure, from roads to drainage systems. The daily rainshowers over the last several weeks are a stark reminder of the flooding problems the city still faces on a daily basis even without a hurricane making landfall. A simple drive from Metairie to Downtown New Orleans quickly turned into an underwater obstacle course the Sunday before President Obama's visit, when Metairie Road became an impassable river during the city's daily downpour. Driving around cars which had stalled and died as their drivers tried to make their way to higher ground, I couldn't help but think that the Ninth Ward is even further below sea level. How can we rebuild the Ninth Ward in such a way as to prevent future disaster in terms of loss of life and property if the city floods after a strong rainstorm?
The number of "for sale" signs around downtown New Orleans is evidence that more must be done to bring back business and industry. Every year, the area is losing its best and brightest graduates to other cities which can offer more opportunity and higher salaries. As a result, New Orleans also loses a stable and liquid tax base. In order to staunch the bleeding of financial and human capital and reduce local unemployment, the city needs to attract more industry to the area. And change must begin at the heart of the city. The new LSU/Tulane Health Center is a great leap forward for improving local quality of life but the gargantuan project is going to stress the already decrepit roadways to capacity. In addition to the expected increases in traffic to New Orleans Port, as discussed in my previous article, the city needs to invest in improving roads now so as to make travel (as well as loading and unloading of goods) more efficient.
Although countless hours of national news coverage have been dedicated to Hurricane Katrina's aftermath and the efforts to rebuild the city, too little attention is being paid to the issue that affects us the most on a day-to-day basis: the city's crumbing infrastructure. Without a major overhaul, the city will have a hard time attracting the capital it needs to grow and improve without being wholly reliant on grants from the federal government. In my opinion, this is the critical time for New Orleans' recovery and, for the sake of the city's future, we simply can't afford to funnel money away from its fundamental needs...
Partisan politics aside, many New Orleans residents hope that President Obama's visit to New Orleans is more than a simple photo opportunity. After all, at the heart of his campaign's message was a promise of change, and change is exactly what this city needs. However, we must remember that the type of change this city needs will cost millions (or, rather, billions!) of dollars and money is a depletable resource. Therefore, the city's leaders need to ration that money in such a way as to benefit the greatest number of people. After all, economics isn't concerned with emotions but about that which is quantifiable, and those who make decisions about our future need to keep that in mind, free of emotions, media pressure, and the pressing need to give a sound bite.
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