More on possible futures for New Orleans

Several weeks and one major hurricane later, Katrina's destruction of the old New Orleans continues to dominate our national attention. In the last week, I've run across three published opinions that in one way or another are worth extended consideration.

• First, fellow geographer Jason Henderson provides a stongly argued assessment that much of New Orleans should not be rebuilt because it was the foolish product of misguided public policy rather than environmentally sound planning; the displaced homes and businesses should instead be rebuilt along a densified corridor stetching upriver to Baton Rouge, Louisiana's new biggest city. And because national public policy is to blame more than "nature" or "God", then national taxpayers should foot the bill through a 50-cent gasoline tax.
• Second, Gregory Rodriguez argues that "La Nueva Orleans" is destined to be a much more Hispanic place, as the bulk of the rebuilding efforts will be performed by laborers and small entrepreneurs from Mexico and Central America.
• Third, Jacob Wagner presented last week some of the most balanced and thoughtful comments I've read to date regarding the prospects for post-Katrina New Orleans. They strongly echo Henderson's comments, but they're not so provocatively wrapped in specific rebuilding plans that include a sizable new tax on the American public. Moreover, Wagner reminds us that rebuilding New Orleans is far more than an exercise in rationally driven transportation and land-use planning and civil engineering, but it also incorpates a heavy dose of humanistic, historical concerns.