NationStates Jolt Archive

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is not in any way to suggest that I am in any way unsympathetic to the plight of those in New Orleans, quite the contary in fact.

What I want to know is why someone, anyone built a city below sea level on a coastal region known for tropical storms. I just feel even worse for the people of New Orleans to discover that one of the main reasons for the level of devestaion was the shear stupidity of whoever designed the city in the first place.

Cities are almost never planned. They grow almost organically. But if you really need to blame somebody... The French.

Well, as we are talking colonies here and not original settlements, I think somebody must have planned it. I don't know enough about the general layout of the city nor about the area on the whole, but I would assume that the river was one of the main reasons for the settlement.
Infrastructure is important for business, which in turn enabled the city to grow...

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is not in any way to suggest that I am in any way unsympathetic to the plight of those in New Orleans, quite the contary in fact.

What I want to know is why someone, anyone built a city below sea level on a coastal region known for tropical storms. I just feel even worse for the people of New Orleans to discover that one of the main reasons for the level of devestaion was the shear stupidity of whoever designed the city in the first place.

http://www.gatewayno.com/history/Histroy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_Orleans

Hope these help.

IWhat I want to know is why someone, anyone built a city below sea level on a coastal region known for tropical storms. I just feel even worse for the people of New Orleans to discover that one of the main reasons for the level of devestaion was the shear stupidity of whoever designed the city in the first place.

Sorry, missed the answer to your question out of the last post.

The thing is that the original trading post/town was built in a sensible place and on high ground - not all of the current city is underwater.

Its just that as the city expanded, especially during the 20th century, people came to rely on the dams to hold back water from what was a natural flood plane. And of course, as we have seen, it was the poorest people who ended up in that low-lying land and as a result they have now paid the price while the greedy land developers have fat bank accounts.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is not in any way to suggest that I am in any way unsympathetic to the plight of those in New Orleans, quite the contary in fact.

What I want to know is why someone, anyone built a city below sea level on a coastal region known for tropical storms. I just feel even worse for the people of New Orleans to discover that one of the main reasons for the level of devestaion was the shear stupidity of whoever designed the city in the first place.

It was originally built on what can be considered high ground in that area by the French but over time, it expanded into the low areas. There really was no actual plan for it as is the case with most cities.

Hopefully, people will refrain from rushing back in and just rebuilding everything that was destroyed and instead, take the time to think this out.

The lowest parts of the city are built on the sedimentery deposit left by the Mississippi river. I'm not too keen on the details, but basically the tectonic plating underneath is not holding the wait of the sediment very well, and is actually bowing under the pressure. Which is why they say the city is sinking. It literally is. I would have to look further, but I'm not so sure the city was even below sea level when it was originally colonized.

And the other poster is correct. The originally settled parts are not underwater. As much as I'd like to blame it on the French, just for fun, It isn't their fault.

This should help. (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/09/03/geology/index_np.html)

Cities are almost never planned. They grow almost organically. But if you really need to blame somebody... The French.
Maybe old cities..
Yes Blame The French.

What I want to know is why someone, anyone built a city below sea level on a coastal region known for tropical storms. I just feel even worse for the people of New Orleans to discover that one of the main reasons for the level of devestaion was the shear stupidity of whoever designed the city in the first place.
From the name of the city alone, I would guess the French built it.

I just realised this, but nearly every thread I go to post in has been psoted in by Gartef, Harlesburg & Sick Dreams... It's begining to scare me...

I'd like to thank all those who have posted links and insights so far, its very interesting. I'm also pleased to see that no one's misinterpreted what I posted here and insulted me. Its nice to be understood first time, makes things so much easier.

There's a little more to it than what the other posters have included here, but they're essentially right. The city was founded by Bienville, largely for its accessability to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. It's a city that exists because it has to exist--it's at the mouth of the largest and most navigable interior river in North America, and as such, it's invaluable for shipping. Military people have known this almost since the city was founded--it's the reason for the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson really only wanted New Orleans and took the rest of the Louisiana territory because that's the only way Napoleon would sell the city. And that value as a port is the reason why, all other bitching from people who don't understand that aside (and I'm not talking about anyone in this thread), there will always be a city there, and it will always be a large city, because you have to have people to run that port and the attached oil industry.

But the city is sinking, and has been for the last 80+ years ever since the Corps of Engineers started keeping the Mississippi in its banks rather than letting it flow where it wants to, which is through the Atchafalaya basin. They did it to increase the navigability of the river, but they also did it for flood control--the side effect is that the silt that used to be deposited at the mouth of the river that built up the delta now gets jettisoned into the Gulf, and the delta is eroding badly. A number of engineers have come up with ways to rectify that, as well as some construction that can help prevent future flooding, including the building of a massive seagate in Lake Pontchartrain much like has been done in the Netherlands. But that will take lots of money and political will, and up till now, neither has existed. Perhaps now it will.

<I've snipped out the original paragraph, but when he said that New Orleans exists because it has to, he was right, and most likely about the rest of the paragraph, though I don't know it for a fact.>

But the city is sinking, and has been for the last 80+ years ever since the Corps of Engineers started keeping the Mississippi in its banks rather than letting it flow where it wants to, which is through the Atchafalaya basin. They did it to increase the navigability of the river, but they also did it for flood control--the side effect is that the silt that used to be deposited at the mouth of the river that built up the delta now gets jettisoned into the Gulf, and the delta is eroding badly. A number of engineers have come up with ways to rectify that, as well as some construction that can help prevent future flooding, including the building of a massive seagate in Lake Pontchartrain much like has been done in the Netherlands. But that will take lots of money and political will, and up till now, neither has existed. Perhaps now it will.It also doesn't help that many of the wetlands were drained by real estate developers. The wetlands were good at holding water in, and now that they're slowly disappearing, erosion is happening.

I just realised this, but nearly every thread I go to post in has been psoted in by Gartef, Harlesburg & Sick Dreams... It's begining to scare me...
Don't be scared, just give in to the dark side. It will all be over soon, and you will see the error of your ways. :D

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is not in any way to suggest that I am in any way unsympathetic to the plight of those in New Orleans, quite the contary in fact.

What I want to know is why someone, anyone built a city below sea level on a coastal region known for tropical storms. I just feel even worse for the people of New Orleans to discover that one of the main reasons for the level of devestaion was the shear stupidity of whoever designed the city in the first place.

I think you are forgetting that the Louisiana coast has changed since the French founded New Orleans. The original city wasn't below sea level. Three main factors have changed since then.

1. The difference in elevation between the city and the sea has changed: because of a many factors, including sea level rise *and* subsidence.

2. The city has grown into areas that were reclaimed (most cities have this problem).

3. The restriction of the Mississippi River has lead to a significant loss of the Louisiana coastal barrier islands.


The people who died are not to blame for this! Nor was the city originally poorly designed! The fault with the devastation of Katrina goes from the local New Orleans govt right up to our national dependence on fossil fuels (sea level rise) and mismanagement of the Mississippi River.

Don't be scared, just give in to the dark side. It will all be over soon, and you will see the error of your ways. :D
I'l never be a Necromonger! Uh... I mean Sith.. yeeeeeeeeees