Geomorphology, geography, and New Orleans after Iberville and Bienville

The geophysical and geographic legacy of New Orleans was partially exposed shortly after it was founded in 1718, and completely exposed in the tragic and chaotic events of the fall 2005 hurricane season. Frequent and strong hurricanes that make landfall on broad, low-lying coastal lands, along with seasonal river flooding, combined to make a risky environmental setting for the future metropolitan area that became New Orleans. This precarious setting was further supported by a geopolitical and cultural mélange that expanded into the organic soils between delta levees. Higher and more expansive flood protection levees were developed, which compensated—albeit intermittently—for the loss of the protective fringe of coastal wetlands. Repetitive disasters resulting from levee failure around and within New Orleans tragically demonstrate the inadequacy of scientific and engineering prowess operating in a restricted social–political framework. These problems beg for the clearly articulated and meaningful participation of all to appreciate the inevitability of change and the co-dependent interrelationships between people and place.