A report released today finds the rebuilding effort continuing to attract people and jobs to the New Orleans area nearly four years after Hurricane Katrina. But it also raises again the major challenges facing the region, from blight to lack of affordable housing, and calls for strong leadership to move past the disaster recovery phase into actually building a “sustainable, inclusive and prosperous city and region.” The New Orleans Index, released by the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program and Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, provides a picture of the shape the recovery has taken since the August 2005 storm left most of New Orleans under water—and a glimpse at where the city might be heading.
The population is about 76% of pre-Katrina levels and shows signs of gaining. But the report notes that school enrollment growth has slowed—suggesting those moving here are likely singles and childless couples.
And while New Orleans has so far weathered the national recession relatively well, it hasn’t been immune to economic problems. The report finds a “stalled” housing market, similar to what other metro areas have seen, and says a slowdown in consumer spending has contributed to a dive in city sales tax revenues.
The report reiterates problem areas—rampant blight, still-high rents—and calls on the Obama administration to work with the state and the next mayor to build on the progress made so far and help the city “truly reinvent itself.”
