New Faubourg Lafitte is a residential development in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. It largely occupies the area formerly filled by the since demolished Lafitte Projects public housing.
In 2011, the first homes were constructed on a 27-acre site between the Tremé/Lafitte and Tulane-Gravier neighborhoods of New Orleans. The project includes the replacement of subsidized housing from the old Lafitte housing project with affordable new homes on a redeveloped site, as well as the addition of 900-1000 units that will be constructed on infill lots in adjacent neighborhoods. The homes range in size and cost, and 600 new units will be for sale for working families and first-time homeowners. The new construction reflects the character of the existing communities, and is a result of the mobilization of a spirited local residential council in response to a HUD mandate that their homes be demolished in the wake of two devastating hurricanes.
This project exemplifies local groups taking action, the preservation of cultural character, and the pursuit of environmental justice in a city that is rebuilding from the ground up in the wake of disaster.
History
History of the Tremé neighborhood
The Carondolet Canal (since filled in) formerly was a barrier marking the upriver boundary of the Tremé section of New Orleans. The area formerly occupied by the canal and multiple railroad tracks has been repurposed as a linear park, the Lafitte Greenway. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, and has a rich and dynamic past. Historically, its residents were primarily free people of color; today, it remains an important core of the city's African-American and Créole cultures. The original "Old Treme" ran from Rampart to Claiborne; additional area lakewards from Claiborne is sometimes considered "New Treme" (dating from later in the 19th century). It has long been known as one of the city's centers of musical culture.
" Tremé/Lafitte" is a comparatively recent designation by the New Orleans City Planning Commission; a sub-district of the Mid-City District of New Orleans, and is bounded by Esplanade Avenue to the north, St. Louis Street to the south, North Rampart Street to the east and North Broad Street to the west.
Numbering among the cultural landmarks in the area are institutions like the New Orleans African American Museum, the Mahalia Jackson Theatre and Armstrong Park. It is home to the Zulu Social and Pleasure Club and the Mardi Super Krewe.
Hurricane damage: Both tangible and intangible
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, and was followed in September by a second hurricane of the same caliber, Hurricane Rita. The severity of the physical damage was exacerbated by the comparable damage to the political and social infrastructure. Hurricane Katrina brought about a terrible loss of life, and many who did not lose their lives still suffered devastating blows to their homes and livelihoods; it was perhaps the deadliest natural disaster in the US since 1928, and the most expensive in the country's history. While the active 2005 Atlantic hurricane season has raised ecological questions about the impact of climate change on tropical cyclones, Hurricane Katrina has elicited further inquiries of a more political nature. Such disastrous results despite adequate warnings from the US National Hurricane Center led to concerns about complex socio-economic issues. Two factors ultimately influence vulnerability to hurricanes: event incidence and societal infrastructure. While one is the product of nature, the other is totally within the control of man and consequently subject to its due scrutiny.
More than a million people were displaced by the storm, and consequently both public sector institutions and private sector relief organizations were unable to match the high level of need. The strain was felt socially and culturally, as people were removed from their communities and separated from their households and extended families. Ethnic tensions, too, surfaced to a greater degree. Because of the failure of public authorities to adequately prepare for the disaster, poor, predominantly Black communities ultimately bore the brunt of the damages. Furthermore, recovery policies in many ways reinforced discriminatory practices, and the city's poor black residents were often not seen as having a place in the "new" New Orleans that officials hoped would rise from the blank slate left in Katrina's wake.