This video by the Globe and Mail describes the emptiness that exists in an area of the lower 9th ward 4 years after the devastation caused by the incompetence of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Levee Boards. The fact that people are living in this emptiness is the fault of Mayor Nagin.
He had an opportunity after the storm to put a system in place that would incentivise people to move out of some areas and additional incentives to move into other areas. There could have been efforts to concentrate populations into 6 to 10 square blocks and make other areas of 6 to 10 square blocks into parks.
He decided that to get reelected he needed to allow everyone to rebuild wherever they wanted, although it was obvious to everyone that there was no way to support the large footprint with police, fire, water, power, etc.
So now we have blocks with 1 or 2 families living in them.
I am not suggesting that the entire lower 9th, or all of lakeview, or all of gentilly should have been off limits. I am only suggesting that within the lower 9th, or lakeview, etc. that there had been an effort to concentrate the population that wanted to stay in those areas so that people could live in something that looked like and felt like a neighborhood.
By the way, I have a train that runs straight behind my house. (If you watched the video link above, you know why I added this comment).