Abstract
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the federal hurricane protection system, residents of New Orleans have struggled to rebuild their city in a context of uncertainty, contested leadership, and a highly politicized planning process. In the absence of a well-organized process, people have turned to other modes of planning action to address the problems of communication and information experienced during the recovery. In this chaotic context, digital communication tools served as an indispensible medium for disaster recovery by providing a forum for the critique of planning, which reflects a significant process of social learning and socio-political empowerment (Rocha, 1997).
What kind of America would we have if New Orleans never existed? Certainly not one that was beloved for two centuries around the world for the daring of its music, the inventiveness of its culture, the epic sweep of its writers. Certainly not an America whose cities are now waking from ages-long slumber to find their night, their youth, their creative energies.
(Andrei Codrescu, 2006, p. 36)
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Wagner, J.A. (2010). Digital Media and the Politics of Disaster Recovery in New Orleans. In: Sandercock, L., Attili, G. (eds) Multimedia Explorations in Urban Policy and Planning. Urban and Landscape Perspectives, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3209-6_6
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