University of Minnesota Moment: Rebuilding New Orleans

Transcription

[Announcer]: I'm Rick Moore with the University of Minnesota Moment. More than seven months after the worst natural disaster in our country’s history, the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina are still visible in the neighborhoods, businesses, and livelihoods of millions of people touched by the storm. Judith Martin, a professor of geography and director of the U’s Urban Studies Program, will discuss the rebuilding of New Orleans with Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a national expert on creating livable urban communities, at a U of M Great Conversations event this evening.

[Martin]: There are lots of planners and architects that are roaming around in Southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast telling people what they should do. A lot of the initial discussion—and this is part of what Congressman Blumenauer has been interested in as well—is trying to rebuild New Orleans in a way that is cognizant of the environmental challenges that exist there, and to rebuild it in a way that is denser, more transit-oriented, the standard menu of livable communities discussions.

[Moore]: Martin says most people live in urban areas such as the Twin Cities to get economic opportunities, most importantly, jobs.

[Martin]: A lot of people live in the Twin Cities and in other metropolitan areas because it’s where the economic core of—in this case, the state—is, which means people come here for jobs. It’s not that, necessarily, people who grow up in Greater Minnesota and go off to college and come back to Minnesota say, “Oh, I really wanna live in the Twin Cities.” They might well wanna live in Brainerd or something like that, but can’t find work.

[Moore]: That's Judith Martin for the University of Minnesota Moment.