You say it loud and clear, and I agree completely--New Orleans is a symbol. It is one of the great American cities, despite the decline, despite the poverty. To abandon this City when we save others sends a signal (one that I am sure is okay with some libertarian types) that we as a society give up on those that don't/cant pull themselves up and/or measure up. It is like the reality game "Survivor" on the scale of an entire city and region. The physical challenges of the sunken city may never be perfected and hurricane-proofed, but good planning and better political process could certainly help these issues. I am not opposed to spending monty and making the city safer and more viable for those who choose to remain--that is the least we can do. New Orleans may naturally reduce its size and stature because of the ongoing hurricane risk and ongoing infrastructure issues, but to give up on a symbolic, creative city, is immoral.

Dear sir, As the As the Community Services Director for the Greater Lynchburg Habitat for Humanity (GLHFH) I too would like to push for this slice of developable land to be converted to affordable housing projects. We at Habitat believe wholeheartedly that the City should commit to an ample supply of affordable housing that can be offered to qualified community members for ownership, not just rental apartments which are an eyesore, dangerous and give tenants no pride of place. We have already developed two successful areas called Bright Star Court and Jubilee Court and they are connected by a Community facility which provides athletic and educational services to the members of these HFH subdivisions. Habitat for Humanity families are less likely to default on their loans than the general population (which stablizes the neighborhood) and the community center has provided job training, family assistance and turoring for the children, which adds value to their lives and the City of Lynchburg overall. Please know that we are working hard with the City to obtain these parcels for future HFH projects and we hope you will apply to become one of our HFH volunteers and eventually an HFH homeowner!

Oh come on, this isn't Facebook.

You bring up a similar point I made in my blog--though state it differently when you "explicit and implicit" differences in residents needing to be addressed. I believe as planners it is our duty to clearly explain our motives and tools that are used in community planning, and in some cases "simplifying" or "targeting"(perhaps better ways of putting it than--"dumbing it down") the message yields more concrete results than expecting people to power through the entire Blueprint Denver plan and comprehend our motives. As Tauxe points out there are very different ways of communicating with diverse populations, so perhaps we all need to consider a Master's Degree in PR & Communications as well as that Planning degree....