FEMA Will Not Pay For (New Orleans BNOB) Planners

[funkybutt]

http://abc26.trb.com/news/03082006bnobplanners,0,3478880.story?coll=wgno-home-2

Walking through his Lakeview home, Glenn Stoudt sees progress.

-snip-

Stoudt also sees strong possibilities for his neighborhood. His group, the Lakeview Civic Improvement Association, is following the bring new orleans back commission's plan -- meeting regularly to map out lakeview's future.

-snip-

But they need help on the harder things like deciding which blocks should be commericial versus green space. They have asked for help from BNOB urban planners but have not gotten any.

"We've had only pleasant apologies," Stoudt said.

*Looks like we're on our own...we were told that it was ultimately up to the NEIGHBORHOODS to decide their own future and design their own plan. They promised that professional urban planners would assist us in the process of making hard decisions about the largest investment of our lives, our homes/neighborhoods.*

[Ian David]

1. I'm thinking Venice, Italy should be the new model

Reisgn themselves to the fact that the Rethugs will see to it that nothing is ever done about Global Warming. Put everything on stilts and start commuting to work in water taxis.

Worst case scenario- The GOP is dead and the Libertarians emerge as a powerful political force. That would be the death knell for the environment, but at least pot and gay marriage would be legal.

[pitohui]

5. people in lakeview would be happy to elevate

they just need to know how freakin high they are going to be asked to elevate, this is the hold-up for several people i know who do have the money to rebuild their homes, but no one is honestly telling them what they need to do to make their homes legal so that when they rebuild they will be able to buy insurance and also be able to re-sell their home if they ever have to re-locate since most people can't buy a house that can't be insured, the lender won't approve the loan


they also need to know the amount of grants they will receive if any, elevating a structure can cost tens of thousands of dollars

[Ian David]

7. Popular Mechanics recommends 30 feet. n/t

[NYC]

2. FEMA was supposed to...

...FEMA was supposed to cover the $5 million cost of those professionals, but so far the agency has not come up with the money...

Famous last words. FEMA was supposed to do a lot of things.

[dcfirefighter]

3. Here's a plan

http://www.carfree.com/district.html

Build it for people, not cars. 1/5th of a square mile, 12,000 people. 1.6 miles of levees. Lots of greenspace. Free Tram stop, levees, schools, etc., paid for by land rents in the 'dry zone'. (Note that much of Hong Kong is 'rented' land - it spurs development, since therre's little incentive for speculation.)

[pitohui]

4. well that's a plan will kill a lot of people next time the water rises

no car free plans, thank you very much, we should not be encouraging anyone to return who can't own and operate their own vehicle

contra-flow worked, people who could drive out saved themselves and their families

the last thing we need is to get a formerly wealthy successful community like lakeview and turn it into a ghetto where people are trapped, surrounded by water, and can't get out when the next hurricane evacuation is called

make your own city, situated somewhere evacuations are never required, into a carfree zone

that is not a sane plan for lakeview, i'll give you a hint, it's on the freakin LAKE!!!!

people in lakeview need to see some practical plans, they need to know exactly how high they should be elevating before they rebuild their homes, and they need to know how much if any grants they are going to get to elevate

they don't need pie in the sky a plan to take away their cars now that they've already lost their houses

christ!!!!!!

don't do me no favors, friend

sorry to be so emphatic but some ideas are not just stupid or impractical they're downright insanely ludicrous if you actually know the area

make some place else carfree -- someplace very, very far away preferably!

[dcfirefighter]

6. Heh. I guess all those buses were for people with cars

And all those cars I saw parked were used to evacuate
Had people heeded the notices, they could have left on bicycles, just to make a point.
Removing cars from the streets doesn't mean people can't own them and keep them nearby.
Everyone must own cars in Venice, Amsterdam, and other cities at or below water level.
One Light rail line would take ~1h to evacuate 12,000 people.
One Heavy Rail Metro would take 20 minutes or so.
Cars at double normal capacity on four lanes would take 2.5h.
Removing cars from the streets lets the 'urban' area be twice as dense, and 10x more liveable (walk to parks, no street level pollution, the whole neighborhood is a pedestrian plaza, Eyes on the street).
If everyone is on foot, rather than merely the poor, the rules are different.
If other cites were largely car-free, perhaps we wouldn't have the problem of Mississippi R. Channelization.
If the city was formerly wealthy and successful, why do they need federal help? Make your own city and quit using our money.

<...some ideas are not just stupid or impractical they're downright insanely ludicrous if you actually know the area...>
Like trying to (re-)build a city on a shifting delta in a flood plain?
Like spending everyone else's incomes to rebuild landowner's values in NO?
Like spending money on a pie in the sky plan to build flood protection for hundreds of square miles of suburbia?