"Theres a lot of places I like, but I like New Orleans Better. Roman Catholic Art. Sweeping front porches, turrets, cast-iron balconies, colonnades- 30 -foot columns, gloriously beautiful- double pitched roofs, all the architecture of the whole wide world and it doesn't move." - Bob Dylan
The "Big Easy"
For almost three centuries an extraordinarily diverse population has guided the eclectic and dynamic evolution of New Orleans. Despite the precarious geography that made the city vulnerable to the water that surrounded it, Governor of Louisiana Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville founded "La Nouvelle-Orléans", or New Orleans, in 1718 under French rule. The geometric grid city design, common to the establishment of French colonies, would be the only traditional aspect of what would become a unique and famous metropolis. The vibrant mix of cultural influences on the architecture made for some of the most interesting urban aesthetics in the country.
The crescent parcel of land, so prone to flooding, also presented many opportunities for making use of the waterways for transportation and economic development. The access to the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi established New Orleans as a valuable shipping port. The financial rewards of the location attracted populations of French, Spanish, German, Caribbeans, and Africans, both free and enslaved. The expanding city became a celebration of diversity. The colorful people are reflected in the space they have created and the traditions they maintain. The Mardi Gras parade, that New Orleans is famous for, is a reflection of the spirited citizens who braved the natural dangers of the region and built a life their. It was the shared tradition of masquerade balls that were brought to New Orleans by French and Spanish colonists that developed into the celebrations that occur today. It incorporated influences from the many cultures present in the city and became an iconic event. [1]
In the later half of the 19th century, the leadership of New Orleans began to seriously address the issue of managing the water. Public projects to address drainage and flooding began to be implemented. They had little impact and residents of New Orleans continued to deal with the destruction caused by the waters that surrounded them. The resilient citizens still continued to move forward with developing the city they called home. During the same period, wealthy patrons helped beautify and improve the design of the city by organizing roads, building public open spaces, and constructing structures and landmarks for community benefit.
Over the 20th century we begin to see the push and pull of those that want to modernize New Orleans and those that want to preserve its history and immortalize these significant places. With the drainage that occurred at the end of the last century comes the opportunity to build infrastructure that will change the landscape and geography to one that is more favorable for people to spread to areas that were before uninhabitable like the swamps and wetlands. This was done through the construction of pumps, levees, and canals. Some property being more desirable than others segregated neighborhoods began to form in the mid 1900's. This later ends up translating into huge social inequity problems because the land that was less valuable also had more of a flood risk.
Living at the mercy of the water became a nightmare in 2005. The low lying areas were flooded and many of the poor residents were left stranded. From the founding of New Orleans there has been a struggle to harness the water surrounding the city through engineering, but the levees failed against powerful Hurricane Katrina. All of the human endeavors to control the waters proved insufficient. Even more destructive than the failures of modern engineering was the lack of emergency preparedness and the inability to adequately evacuate the numerous low income residents that were trapped by the flood waters. The nation watched in horror as all levels of government seemed to flounder and the people of New Orleans were left unassisted for far too long.
The impact of Katrina sparked numerous reforms, both in terms of better management of the levee system and in preparing for the inevitable future disasters. It also presented the issue of rebuilding the city and what form that task would take. The people of New Orleans, diverse as they are, were unified in their commitment to rebuild their beloved city just as it was and preserve the historic character that has made it an American urban icon.
The crescent parcel of land, so prone to flooding, also presented many opportunities for making use of the waterways for transportation and economic development. The access to the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi established New Orleans as a valuable shipping port. The financial rewards of the location attracted populations of French, Spanish, German, Caribbeans, and Africans, both free and enslaved. The expanding city became a celebration of diversity. The colorful people are reflected in the space they have created and the traditions they maintain. The Mardi Gras parade, that New Orleans is famous for, is a reflection of the spirited citizens who braved the natural dangers of the region and built a life their. It was the shared tradition of masquerade balls that were brought to New Orleans by French and Spanish colonists that developed into the celebrations that occur today. It incorporated influences from the many cultures present in the city and became an iconic event. [1]
In the later half of the 19th century, the leadership of New Orleans began to seriously address the issue of managing the water. Public projects to address drainage and flooding began to be implemented. They had little impact and residents of New Orleans continued to deal with the destruction caused by the waters that surrounded them. The resilient citizens still continued to move forward with developing the city they called home. During the same period, wealthy patrons helped beautify and improve the design of the city by organizing roads, building public open spaces, and constructing structures and landmarks for community benefit.
Over the 20th century we begin to see the push and pull of those that want to modernize New Orleans and those that want to preserve its history and immortalize these significant places. With the drainage that occurred at the end of the last century comes the opportunity to build infrastructure that will change the landscape and geography to one that is more favorable for people to spread to areas that were before uninhabitable like the swamps and wetlands. This was done through the construction of pumps, levees, and canals. Some property being more desirable than others segregated neighborhoods began to form in the mid 1900's. This later ends up translating into huge social inequity problems because the land that was less valuable also had more of a flood risk.
Living at the mercy of the water became a nightmare in 2005. The low lying areas were flooded and many of the poor residents were left stranded. From the founding of New Orleans there has been a struggle to harness the water surrounding the city through engineering, but the levees failed against powerful Hurricane Katrina. All of the human endeavors to control the waters proved insufficient. Even more destructive than the failures of modern engineering was the lack of emergency preparedness and the inability to adequately evacuate the numerous low income residents that were trapped by the flood waters. The nation watched in horror as all levels of government seemed to flounder and the people of New Orleans were left unassisted for far too long.
The impact of Katrina sparked numerous reforms, both in terms of better management of the levee system and in preparing for the inevitable future disasters. It also presented the issue of rebuilding the city and what form that task would take. The people of New Orleans, diverse as they are, were unified in their commitment to rebuild their beloved city just as it was and preserve the historic character that has made it an American urban icon.
[1]“The Public Masked Balls of Antebellum New Orleans: A Custom of Masque outside the Mardi Gras Tradition” R. Randall Couch, Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association , Vol. 35, No. 4 (Autumn, 1994), pp. 403-431. Louisiana Historical Association
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/4233146>
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/4233146>