NORTH CLAIBORNE AVENUE BLUES

There was a fine front page article by Lolis Eric Elie in Sunday's Picayune about the fate of the massive Claiborne Avenue I-10 overpass. LINK. It was built in the 1960's when the vogue was to build raised highways through the inner city. The original sin of the project was to destroy a thriving and vibrant African-American business corridor along North Claiborne Avenue. It was replaced by blight. I'll refer to the raised highway as an overpass in the rest of the post: what's a little short hand among friends?   

The overpass is now rather old and in need of repair or replacement. Preservationists would like to see it removed in the hopes of redeveloping the area. In fact, this aspiration is stated in the latest version of the post-K planning process. But is it a good idea? The devil is always in the details. Just because it was once an attractive corridor devoted to small businesses doesn't mean it will be that way again. That toothpaste is long out of the tube and nostalgia is not a sound basis for public policy. It's unclear if the planning mandarins have done a detailed traffic plan to ensure that removal of the overpass won't create a traffic nightmare.

The mandarins cite the removal of the Embarcadero freeway in San Francisco after the Loma Prieta earthquake as a precedent. I grew up in the Bay Area and lived in the city for many years so I know a flawed analogy when I see one. First, that raised freeway *had* to come down because of extreme structural damage. Second, it was a loop around the bay and didn't go right through the center of town like Claiborne Avenue. Third, economic benefits are being cited: that was already a thriving waterfront area as opposed to a decimated one.

On balance, I'd prefer to see the overpass removed but I'm concerned that the planning mandarins haven't completely thought this through.They always expect us to trust them to do the right thing as opposed to earning our trust via well constructed arguments. I don't mistrust the planners as much as my friend Jeffrey but I think we should proceed with caution on this issue and that they should present concrete evidence that this is the right thing to do instead of appealing to nostalgia for a lost past. An injustice was done in ripping up Claiborne Avenue some 40 years ago BUT let's not compound it by rushing into something just because Goody Clancy and the "right sort of people" want us to do it. 

Cousin Pat has more on this subject at Hurricane Radio. LINK.

tags: nola  politics  preservation  history  planners  

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