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Oregon Territory

September 23, 2005 — Urban Planning After Disasters

part one part two

download links: part one | part two

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, federal, state, and local officials say New Orleans will be rebuilt. Now faced with Hurricane Rita, other towns and cities in the Gulf Coast region are facing a similar question: do they rebuild and if so, what needs to be considered?

Urban planners and developers have addressed this question many times in the past when U.S. cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, and Galveston, Texas faced major disasters.

Today, we take a look at the considerations and hopes of urban planners when deciding to rebuild a city after a disaster.

Host: Christy George

Guest: William Borah, environmental law attorney and land-use activist in New Orleans; Carl Abbott, professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University; and Tony Rufalo, economist and professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University.

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