Katrina study looks at rebuilding efforts | 08.10.2006 | 01:55:47 | Views: 5486 | ID: August 10 '06: A new study released by the Brookings Institution has found that rebuilding efforts in New Orleans are progressing since Hurricane Katrina, though "a lack of healthcare and other services and a dearth of affordable housing could stymie a full recovery," the Associated Press found in the report. Amy Liu, the deputy director of the Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program told the AP, "I think there are really some signs of promise, but many trends remain troubling." Of issue, is unemployment, with the healthcare and education services sectors being hit the hardest. "Affordable housing is key to the city's recovery," the AP said according to the study. "In the past six months, demolition of now-useless homes has picked up, and in Orleans Parish, 38,594 homeowners have received building permits for repairs and renovations. Katrina destroyed or badly damaged an estimated 160,000 homes in the New Orleans area." Bruce Katz, the vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program said one of the best ways to face the challenges posited from the rebuilding of Katrina is to understand economic impact on various neighborhoods of economic status. The question, Katz said, is to ask: "Can the city transform its poor neighborhoods into healthy ones that will attract and accommodate families with a broad range of income?" Liu told the AP, "This picture doesn't include data tracking the latest concerns about elevated crime levels and the spotty water-sewer infrastructure. ... If the quality of services remains uneven and unreliable for much longer, families, even with housing assistance in hand, may vote with their feet."
Copyright ©2007 TheBreakingNews.com. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in part or full without prior written permission.
|