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PRESS RELEASE: Power to the Neighborhoods: Let the People of New Orleans, Not the Government, Decide Its Future

August 28, 2007

Media contact: Lura Forcum, (703) 993-4960 or lforcum@gmu.edu

Arlington, VA, August 28, 2007-"The extraordinary circumstances in post-Katrina New Orleans require new policy thinking, " argue Sanford Ikeda of the State University of New York and Peter Gordon of the University of California in the newest Mercatus Center Policy Series publication, Power to the Neighborhoods: The Devolution of Authority in Post-Katrina New Orleans. "We advocate the revitalization of the city through the devolution of its governance. Instead of continuing the failed urban policies of the past, the mayor and city officials should redirect their policies towards encouraging the development of private neighborhood associations (PNAs)."

Commonly found in the suburbs of large cities, PNAs provide or contract for some or all of the services that a larger city usually supplies to its residents. It's a model that could work well in New Orleans, assert Ikeda and Gordon. "By transferring some of the city's powers to neighborhoods where community ties already exist or are likely to emerge, this approach would respect the desire of citizens to remain within the city. By bringing life back into the city's communities, this solution could create the conditions for greater economic activity and entrepreneurship, helping New Orleans cope with its decline and prompting an economic reversal."

In their paper, Ikeda and Gordon explore the advent of government-initiated city planning and the effects that it has had in New Orleans and nationwide. They contrast the urban experience with the rise of PNAs in suburban areas. After analyzing the advantages of PNAs over centralized city planning, they recommend ways in which New Orleans could adopt PNAs.

"There is no guarantee that New Orleans will be a great city again," conclude Ikeda and Gordon, "nor can anyone truthfully say what a revitalized New Orleans would actually look like. However, if the city continues along the path indicated by its current post-Katrina planning, its future will look much like its dismal recent past. Compared to the bleak alternative of restoring a failing city, our proposal offers a brighter future by taking governance out of the hands of the powerful officials and giving decision-making power to those who live and work in the neighborhoods that are the foundation of the new New Orleans. In short, we encourage a policy that more effectively harnesses local know-how and energy and that will enable ordinary people in New Orleans to make the ... decisions that will help them do extraordinary things."

Media Contact

• Lura Forcum
  
  lforcum@gmu.edu