New Orleans Recovery Case Study(Manuscript Under Review) byRay MikellAffiliation: University of New Orleans

Abstract:

New Orleans Recovery Case Study (Manuscript Under Review)

After Hurricane Katrina's storm surge inundated New Orleans in August 2005, national opinion makers began debating the possibility of shrinking the city's physical size. Formal proposals to do this werecreated later, after local civic elites and governmental authorities debated the matter. These proposalsfailed, but in the process helped fuel an increase in local civic engagement. Unfortunately, this studyargues, the effect of this increase was muted due to fractured relations between these groups, and thesegroups and city government. More specifically, the research suggests that Mayor Ray Nagin'sadministration failed to successfully engage with newly resurgent neighborhood groups, squanderingan opportunity to increase cross-city cooperation. The study uses a variety of methods, most prominently among them social network analysis, in examining these concerns. Recent research oncivic engagement and urban resilience informs this study. The piece concludes with a list of recommendations for post-disaster policymaking and research on civic engagement in post-disaster planning and administration.