Creating Diverse Networks to Foster Social Innovation in the New New Orleans

Abstract

Five years after Hurricane Katrina violently struck the Gulf Coast in late August 2005, New Orleans is now seen as social justice ground zero. A young person new to the city can join many different networks and interact with a diverse population. But this was not always the case. This article shows how diverse networks can be created, what kind of networks exist in the city today, and how other cities can emulate the convergence of these types of networks. Despite the magnitude of the destruction, Katrina also forced the city and its residents to re-imagine themselves. It brought hundreds of young people to New Orleans, disappointed by the lack of effective federal and state government reaction to the situation and wanting to help.

In the weeks, months and years after the storm hit, the residents of the city, newcomers and natives alike, sometimes deliberately and other times inadvertently, began to engage the diverse populations of New Orleans to forge connections and partnerships that would be needed to help rebuild the city. The influx of a newer, younger, more progressive population disrupted, in a positive way, traditional networks that had grown stagnant.

The city capitalized on the talent and passion brought by many of these new arrivals by giving them a role in the citywide planning process. This civic engagement process fostered connections between the newcomers and long-time city residents. It allowed the new arrivals to first connect with each other and learn the histories and traditions of New Orleans’ neighborhoods. To continue to build successful partnerships through the city planning process, these young newcomers worked with city leaders to create new networks and organizations. The city recognized the need to retain these new young professionals by giving them the opportunity to connect with the city’s history, building trust between locals and newcomers through a common understanding of history and culture.