Recovery of the soul: sustainable rebuilding in post-Katrina New Orleans

Abstract

Although the notion of sustainable development is usually associated with the design and building of new settlements, this chapter illustrates how this notion can also be used to undergird the recovery strategies to rebuild a city struck by a natural disaster. The chapter shows how a sustainable development approach in post-Katrina New Orleans has helped frame post-disaster recovery efforts by applying the following five sustainability concepts: community participation in deciding best strategies for recovery to continue the healing; public safety and security for all neighbourhoods; 100-plus-year time-horizon infrastructure planning; a diverse economy; and sustainable settlement pattern.