Living With Water : The NOLA Files Report No. 2

Why Water? Everything in New Orleans eventually comes back to water. The city sits in a bowl below sea level, ringed by levees, drained by a century-old pumping system, and increasingly squeezed by an insurance market that prices the risk of living here. Storms, subsidence, coastal land loss, drainage failures, and the rising cost of staying insured are note separate problems. Each is part of the same problem seen from different angles.

In this report, we hope to help you understand how we got to this point in our relationship with water and where we might go from here. Looking outside the city and leaning on the knowledge of the past residents, we might have a few solutions for how to live with water.

Editor's Note: The NOLA Files project represents more than just analysis; it embodies a fundamental belief in the power of informed civic engagement. Through our comprehensive website, our print reports for policymakers, and our series of public meetings, we aim to foster the dialogue and collaboration necessary to move our city forward.

New Orleans has always been a city of creativity and cultural innovation amongst neighbors. The challenges we face today call upon these same qualities that make us unique.

We invite you, whether you're a longtime resident, a recent arrival, or someone who cares deeply about the future of this remarkable city, to engage with the findings in this report and to join us in the vital work of building a more resilient, equitable, and vibrant New Orleans for generations to come.

Together, we can chart a path toward a stronger future for the city we call home.

-Blake Haney, Editor