Water and Wellness in New Orleans: Levees, canals and politics in New Orleans history
Mackenzie Brown shares how drainage and sanitation were huge problems during the early days of colonial New Orleans. The French colonists were trying to take advantage of the land’s location, which made it favorable for trade, but now had to deal with the issues of low elevation, with only small portions of land right by the river having any kind of significant elevation, swampy land, and frequent flooding, all of which made urbanization difficult. The solutions to these issues have often created new problems, and coping with the unique challenges of New Orleans’ geography remains a major infrastructural challenge for the city. For 1841 New Orleans, water infrastructure like canals, levees, and other systems were shaped by not just the geographical but also the political realities of the time.
Women in the non-profit sector shaping New Orleans: Upturn Arts for all
Upturn Arts is a non-profit providing arts education to children in underserved communities. Upturn Arts' focus on New Orleans heritage is a mechanism for preservation and celebration of New Orleans' rich history of artistic creation. Authors Ben Schwartz, Ilayda Demirtas, and Jon Reed discuss the importance Upturn Arts hold in the New Orleans community.
