Public Housing and FEMA Vouchers in the 'New' New Orleans

After Katrina, President Bush said, "We will do what it takes" to make "this great city...  rise again."  The Army Corps of Engineers promised to rebuild a safer New Orleans.  Today, New Orleans is less than half as big as it was before Katrina and the Federal Emergency Management Agency may or may not restore rent subsidies that could help more residents to return. Meantime, rents are rising and what little public housing remains may be converted to mixed-income townhouses poor people can't afford. Today's New York Times reports that the Army Corps of Engineers has lost its sense of urgency to rebuild a city safe for enough business and jobs. Is the federal government abandoning a major American city?  Are blacks the biggest losers?