New Orleans to be more compact

New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, will be re-developed following a long-term state plan that calls for high-speed transportation and concentrated development.

Some of the projects planned include:

• A high-speed public transit link between the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans;
• Trust funds to compensate developers for giving conservation easements that preserve wetlands and to provide incentives for reinvestment in urban areas; and
• The identification and amendment of state zoning laws that impede further development.

Urban form – in particular residential and employment densities – influence local energy consumption. Cities with higher population densities can take advantage of efficient ways to distribute energy and heat, and utilize transportation modes that are more energy-efficient and produce fewer carbon dioxide emissions. For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/ccp.

New Orleans is one of 139 local governments in the U.S.A. that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. For more information on ICLEI and its activities in the U.S.A., please visit www.iclei.org/usa.

Source: “LRA plan calls for more compact and regionalized development”, The Times-Picaynne, 3 May 2007.