Strong Civil Society as a Double-Edged Sword: Siting Trailers in Post-Katrina New Orleans

Political Research Quarterly Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 379-389

11 Pages Posted: 31 Jan 2007 Last revised: 31 Dec 2009

See all articles by Daniel P. Aldrich

Daniel P. Aldrich

Northeastern University - College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Security and Resilience Program

Kevin

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: September 1, 2008

Abstract

To meet the dire need for housing following Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials created lists of potential sites for trailer parks. We analyze approved sites to track which factors were linked with larger (or smaller) numbers of trailers and trailer sites per zip code block. Areas which displayed greater levels of social capital, as evidenced by voluntaristic activities such as voting, were slated for fewer trailers, controlling for race, income, education, flood damage, and other relevant factors. Civil society worked simultaneously to bring citizens together while mobilizing them against the threat of trailer parks in their backyards.

Keywords: NIMBY, civil society, social capital, Hurricane Katrina, disaster recovery, trailer parks, New Orleans, Mayor Nagin, spatial location

JEL Classification: R1, R14, R21, P16, R53

Suggested Citation

Aldrich, Daniel P. and Crook, Kevin, Strong Civil Society as a Double-Edged Sword: Siting Trailers in Post-Katrina New Orleans (September 1, 2008). Political Research Quarterly Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 379-389, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=960497 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.960497

Daniel P. Aldrich (Contact Author)

Northeastern University - College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Security and Resilience Program ( email )

360 Huntington Ave,
Boston, MA 02115
United States

Kevin Crook

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )