(with acknowledgements to Jane Jacobs).
I don't know New Orleans, hell, I don't know America, I'm a Brit. But being a European means that like most Europeans, I have a bit of a different perspective on the life and death of cities. And I'm worried about New Orleans.
Disasters don't generally kill cities. London was ravaged first by plague, then razed by fire, in 1666. The fire not only burned the thatched, timber-framed houses to the ground, it destroyed the ancient cathedral of St Paul's. And yet St. Paul's was rebuilt, mostly within Wren's lifetime, and its dome is iconic of the city. Florence was devastated by flood in 1966, as was Venice, a city built over water. Although loss of life was small, both cities lost priceless artworks, although many were painstakingly restored. Both cities are as alive as ever today.
Dresden, Hamburg, Hiroshima, Nagasaki were all destroyed in the second world war. All are thriving cities today. And Holland survives as a nation below sea-level by virtue of a constantly maintained system of levees and pumps.
So why am I worried about New Orleans?
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