Rebuilding "big easy" will not be easy.

• Position: Post-Katrina - New Orleans - Brief Article

The rebuilding of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina provides an unprecedented chance to create new city neighborhoods that are economically and racially diverse, says Meghan Cope, associate professor of geography, University at Buffalo (N.Y.). However, she adds, given the prevailing trends in urban development, it is unlikely that such diverse neighborhoods will emerge.

All across the nation, Cope notes, are examples of how mixed-income communities create more diversity and, therefore, better communities. In these areas, populations are not so isolated and they accommodate the elderly in small apartments or houses, as well as young families in larger homes. "These communities often are designed around a park or open space as a focal point, instead of letting cars, sprawling plazas, and luxury-home subdivisions rule.

"But given the way urban development actually happens, that is, driven by the profit motive in our economic system, I am skeptical as to how much of that will really be incorporated."

She maintains that once rebuilding...