Is Duplicating New Orleans' French Quarter A Good Idea?

While some believe imitation to be the ultimate form of flattery, others describe it as a foolish attempt to replicate the past.

1 minute read

July 19, 2006, 9:00 AM PDT

By Matt Baumann

Some say duplicating the French Quarter is a good idea, while others say it's not supposed to be that way. Either way, the debate whether New Urbanism design is good for the Gulf region continues.

River Ranch, a newer residential development 130km away from New Orleans is at the center of the latest controversy. While its attractors feel that the project's emulation of the French Quarter's architecture, with its charm and easy livability, should be used as a model for rebuilding New Orleans.

"[Yet,] River Ranch has disturbed others who [see] it as the design equivalent of cubic zirconium, the epitome of what many in New Orleans hope the rebuilt city will never be: an imitation New Orleans, a pretty postcard version of a real city."

FULL STORY: Replica of New Orleans: A Study in Urban Cloning

Sunday, July 16, 2006 in The New York Times

Architecture Community / Economic Development History / Preservation Housing Landscape Architecture Urban Development Louisiana View More

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