ABSTRACT
Urban discourse recognizes the role that social and economic forces play in shaping the form and substance of a city – the continental grid as the instrument for mapping territory and stimulating land speculation, and the axial plan as the device that delineates social order and maximizes circulation. In practice, however, such abstract and “totalizing” urban operations have proven to be vulnerable to both human and natural forces at work in cities, particularly those located in geographically challenged areas. This chapter examines alternative “ecological” urban operations and assesses their potential effect on the rebuilding of post-Katrina New Orleans. Among the many initiatives that have been launched in the wake of the hurricane, three case studies in particular represent the broad agenda of ecological urbanism as they lay the groundwork for a symbiosis between the natural conditions of the city’s site, human activity, and cultural identity.
