OP-ED: Car-less in the Eye of Katrina

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OP-ED: Car-less in the Eye of Katrina
Infrastructure | North America | Op-Ed
6 September, 2005 - 5:00am
Author: John Renne

The reason so many lives are in jeopardy from Hurricane Katrina is a result of our extreme dependence on cars and the lack of planning for public transportation, both for regular use and for emergencies, writes John Renne in this week's Planetizen Op-Ed. Renne, a professor at the University of New Orleans, evacuated just days before the hurricane hit.

Mass chaos. A storm of biblical proportions. Hell on earth. These are just a few accounts used by the media to describe the scene in the hours and days after Hurricane Katrina. As I write this, I am refugee in Texas just days after the storm. There are approximately 100,000 people stranded in New Orleans hoping for transport out of the City. An important question not discussed by the media is why so many people were left behind? The reason so many lives are in jeopardy is a result of our extreme dependence on cars and the lack of planning for public transportation, both for regular use and for emergencies.

A brief background about my short experience in Nawlins

My wife and I moved to New Orleans on August 10, 2005. I was hired by the College of Urban and Public Affairs to help launch a (....)

continue reading: Planetizen: http://www.planetizen.com/node/17255