Reviving a New Orleans neighborhood's heart

Yesterday CNU was featured in an article by James Gill in The Times-Picayune titled Reviving a New Orleans neighborhood's heart.

In the article Gill talks about the razing of Claiborne Avenue and the effect replacing the street with a highway had on the community. In the 1960s when the city decided to build I-10, "down came hundreds of oak trees that lined Claiborne, and what had been a vibrant section of the city was left to wither in the shadow of a noxious and thunderous highway."

Now that the city is looking at spending upwards of $50 million on fixing up the aging highway, many people (including CNU) are calling for the highway to be dismantled and for Claiborne Avenue to be restored to its former glory. Last week CNU released the report Restoring Claiborne Avenue: Alternatives for the Future of Claiborne Avenue, in which it calls for just that. According to Gill, "the idea is also mooted in the city's master plan and the Unified New Orleans Plan, the blueprint for Katrina recovery."

CNU's study concluded that removal of the highway would only increase travel time for commuters by a matter of minutes. The new boulevard would allow traffic to flow smoothly while promoting commerce. Claiborne Avenue would once again be a place of business and culture.