Post‐Katrina Population Loss and Uneven Recovery in New Orleans, 2000–2010^*

* Support by the Louisiana Board of Regents Grant LEQSF(2011‐13)‐RD‐A‐12 (Lei Wang) is gratefully acknowledged.

Abstract

New Orleans has suffered from a significant population decline during 2000–2010, mainly due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Regression models are used here to explain the spatial variability of population change in New Orleans by variables such as proximity (distance or travel time) to the central business district (), a natural environment variable “elevation”, and two composite socio‐demographic indices derived from variables in the census. The research reveals a U‐shaped population‐change profile with distance or travel time from the , population loss bottomed at 4–5 kilometers (10–15 minutes) from the and recovered towards both the and suburbs. This suggests possible converging forces of suburbanization (that is, a nationwide trend that began long before the hurricane) and the 's anchoring role in the post‐Katrina recovery. Greater population loss was also observed in the socioeconomically disadvantaged and lower‐elevated areas, but neighborhoods of Hispanic concentration experienced less population loss.

• population change
• suburbanization
• Hurricane Katrina
• New Orleans

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Fahui Wang

Dr. Fahui Wang is James J. Parson Professor of geography at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, and visiting professor at Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (summer of 2013); [[email protected]].

Quan Tang

Dr. Quan Tang is a software engineer at ESRI, [email protected]].

Lei Wang

Dr. Lei Wang is an associate professor of geography at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803; [[email protected]].