If you are not from New Orleans, and you know only one neighborhood in the city by name, bets are, it’s the French Quarter. But if you happen to known two by name, the second is probably the Lower Ninth Ward. But probably not for the better – because of the media coverage of the Ninth Ward, it became an icon of devastation of Katrina. Like many parts of New Orleans that were under water, the images shown the broken levee and the neighborhood was complete engulfed. The attention of a major levee break along the Lower Nine brought the neighborhood into much media coverage. Among those memorable images of the Lower Ninth, houses were tossed aside by the rushing water, the water rose to fourteen feet, and countless people were stranded and displaced. But what was the Lower Ninth Ward before the catastrophic failure? And what is it being shaped into today?
To the south, it is bounded by the Mississippi River, that winds through the Orleans Parrish creating the crescent shape of the city dubbed ‘the Crescent City’. Along the west is the industrial canal, dredged so that mercantile ships could pass easily through what was formerly a significant area of wetlands. The length of Florida Avenue and the Southern Railway draws another boundary along the north; but perhaps it is more important to cite the wetlands and levee that they runs along. Lastly, and least in tangible limits, is the east with the Bernard Parrish line. The Parrish line defines the Ninth Ward, but does not contain it as the other significant framing elements do. It is effectively boarder by three levees; that of nature in the river below and the wetlands above and also by the human hand along portions of the river, the length of the industrial canal and as well on the edge of the wetlands.
St Claude and Claiborne serve as the two major corridors to and through the Lower Ninth. They are signifying markers in travel as well as visual indicators due to their bridges across the industrial canal. They also pass through the Lower Nine into the rest of New Orleans and the Bernard Parrish. As well through Jackson Barracks, another significant marker of the Ninth Ward, housing the Louisiana Army National Guard, Jackson Barracks has contributed to the historic development of the neighborhood.
But what does the neighborhood tell that the planning commission cannot? The experiences of the limits of the Lower Nine are possibly the most definite of any neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. The physical objects that enclose the Lower Nine are very apparent. As a mostly residential district, the Lower Ninth has a considerably large footprint of industry compared to most of the city. With limited availability of vacant land, and often ineffective zoning, the sense of place strains. There is a need for a cohesive relationship between these two land uses. There is a clear rift between these two kinds of implants.
The Lower Ninth was one of the last neighborhoods to be developed in New Orleans. The first residents were poor immigrants from Ireland, Germany, and Italy, and freedmen, who were formerly enslaved Africans. Essentially, those who were desperate for housing but could not afford to live in other parts of the city. They moved to what soil they could find in the low, once mostly cypress wetlands, Ninth Ward. Isolated and lacking in adequate drainage, any sort of sewerage, and water distribution systems, the neighborhood grew steadily but slowly. Eventually, the industrial canal was dug, which brought funds for adequate drainage and pumping systems. But the physical disruption isolated the Lower Ninth further. The industry advanced around the canal introducing the neighborhood to mechanized developments. These small to medium sized insertions strewn throughout the Lower Ninth began to effect the environment, but not the character. Risking flood and disease these residents built their homes and lives. Creating a warm community that greeted and attracted many low income residents. The reputation for neighborliness continued through the entire formulation of the Lower Ninth Ward.
So we ask ourselves why is the Lower Ninth a significant neighborhood? It is not because of the news stories or even the severity of Katrina’s impact. It was valuable long before then. It feels like a neighborhood -- still. But things have changed. What makes it significant is its sense of place. That life runs through its streets as blood runs through veins, and it is in a sense, itself a living being.
