New Orleans: Historic preservation dismissed by Mayor Nagin

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin speaks at a press conference in New Orleans, La., Friday, Oct. 7, 2005. Nagin said he wants to allow Las Vegas style gambling in the city's larger hotels as a way to jump start the economy after Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

From Michelle Kimball, Advocacy Coordinator, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans:

Last week, Mayor Nagin released his proposed budget for 2007. Over the next two weeks, the city Council will be considering his proposal and modifying it. As proposed, the Mayor's budget includes no new funding for the Historic Districts Landmarks Commission. He has declined to even restore the HDLC to its pre-Katrina staffing and support levels. In short this is catastrophic for the preservation community.

The HDLC oversees all historic districts in the city, save the French Quarter. They review all permits, demolitions, construction, restoration and violations in a vast proportion of the city, and also establish new historic districts. At present, they are almost paralytically understaffed.

Often, they are depicted as obstructionist, standing in the way of development, and in post-Katrina New Orleans, recovery but while they are in a very real sense, the guardians of our built landscape, they are also the facilitators of development and recovery. This misperception of their work cannot stand, for we cannot rebuild and recover without them.

On Friday, November 10th at 1:30 PM the council will meet in Chambers to review the budget proposal for this agency. If you are able to attend, please do so. The council must be made to understand that while there are many critical issues to be addressed in the year to come, no progress can be made if the path to our recovery is crippled. If you are unable to attend, please consider writing, phoning or emailing the Council, particularly your own representative and the At-Large representatives.

District A:
Shelly Midura
P: 658-1010 F: 658-1016
District B
Stacy Head
P: 658-1020 F: 658-1025
District C
James Carter
P: 658-1030 F: 658-1037
District D
Cynthia Hedge-Morrell
P: 658-1040 F: 658-1048
District E
Cynthia Willard-Lewis
P: 658-1050 F: 658-1050
At-Large
Oliver Thomas
P: 658-1060 F: 658-1077
Arnie Fielkow
P: 658-1020 F: 658-1060
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Cities, particularly elected officials, are not often clear on their competitive advantages. New Orleans, like DC, has clear competitive advantages around its historic building stock and its urban, people-centric, design. But so much of the new development (pre-Katrina) is out-of-context anyplace architecture that diminishes the qualities that make the city beloved -- well maybe a Saks Fifth Avenue in a mall on Canal Street can be loved?

Of course, New Orleans has another as significant problem, a weak economy.

In situations like those, local elected officials tend to jump whenever and how high they are told.

You have to be clear about your competitive advantages and focus your development energies there. When proposals are counter to your competitive advantages, you have to say no.

Preservation isn't counter to development, but it is often counter to particular forces making extra-normal profits...

Index Keywords: historic-preservation