Environmental justice, local knowledge, and after-disaster planning in New Orleans

This article addresses issues of environmental justice and historic preservation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Specifically, four main areas are examined in light of failures in after-disaster planning during the rebuilding of the city in the year following the storm. The first area of critique is the problem of public trust in government environmental officials in Louisiana. The second area is the lack of planning for debris disposal, and the possibility that this may create future public health and environmental injustice sites. Third, the article addresses problems faced by residents, particularly the poor and working class, who are trying to clean up and rebuild after the storm. And last, the article highlights issues unique to rebuilding in New Orleans’ 20 historic districts, in particular the tensions between local knowledge and the federal response to the disaster.