For decades, New Orleans was home to one of the largest concentrations of public housing in the United States. Built to serve low-income families—predominantly Black residents—these housing developments were once viewed as necessary safety nets in a segregated and unequal city.
But after Hurricane Katrina, public housing in New Orleans was not just damaged — it was systematically erased. Thousands of families were displaced, and in their place came a new vision: mixed-income developments, privatized management, and architectural uniformity that critics say prioritized appearances over community.
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This is the story of what we had, what we lost, and what took its place.
The Rise of Public Housing in New Orleans
New Orleans was among the first American cities to build public housing. In the 1930s and 1940s, developments like the Lafitte, Calliope (later B.W. Cooper), Magnolia (later C.J. Peete), and St. Bernard projects were built during the New Deal era to address housing shortages for working-class families.
But like much of New Orleans’ infrastructure, housing was segregated. The projects were explicitly divided by race, and Black residents were often confined to the more deteriorated units and underfunded neighborhoods. Still, these developments became self-sufficient communities—with strong social networks, afterschool programs, and a deep cultural presence.
Katrina and the Demolition of a System
Though public housing in New Orleans faced decades of disrepair and underinvestment, it was Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that catalyzed its mass demolition. Despite many of the structures surviving the storm with minimal flood damage, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) moved to permanently close and demolish over 4,500 units of traditional public housing.
This decision sparked local protests and national controversy. Thousands of residents—many of whom were displaced during the storm—were never allowed to return. Legal challenges, including class-action lawsuits, argued that the demolitions were discriminatory and violated residents’ rights. But by 2008, the bulldozers had done their work.
What Replaced the Projects?
The developments that replaced New Orleans’ traditional public housing are “mixed-income communities,” designed and managed through public-private partnerships. These new complexes include a combination of market-rate apartments, low-income units, and Section 8 vouchers.
Here’s what replaced some of the city’s most well-known projects:
Lafitte Projects → Faubourg Lafitte
Located in Treme, the Lafitte Projects were one of the oldest in the country. The area is now home to Faubourg Lafitte, developed by Providence Community Housing and Enterprise Community Partners. While the new development promised to replace all public housing units, many former residents never returned, due to long delays and complex application processes.
St. Bernard Projects → Columbia Parc
Once one of the largest housing developments in the city, St. Bernard was demolished and replaced by Columbia Parc, a planned community developed by Columbia Residential. It offers amenities like a fitness center and community events—but fewer deeply affordable units.
B.W. Cooper (Calliope) → Marrero Commons
Located in Central City, B.W. Cooper was replaced by Marrero Commons, another mixed-income community that includes Section 8 housing, but with significantly fewer units than the original project. The new development also includes strict screening criteria, which critics say have the effect of excluding former residents.
C.J. Peete (Magnolia) → Harmony Oaks
Once home to residents like Master P and Juvenile, the Magnolia Projects were among the most culturally significant in the city. Today, the site is Harmony Oaks, a tree-lined complex that touts safer housing, but has also reduced the number of deeply subsidized units available to low-income families.
The Loss of Community — and Accountability
While mixed-income developments have brought improved infrastructure and reduced crime in some areas, critics argue they’ve come at the expense of community displacement and erasure.
- Many of the new units are governed by strict rules—including credit checks, employment requirements, and zero-tolerance policies that disproportionately exclude vulnerable residents.
- Former residents lost more than just housing—they lost neighbors, childcare networks, cultural identity, and generational roots.
- Most important, the replacements did not maintain a 1:1 ratio of deeply affordable units. As a result, New Orleans now has a shortage of over 36,000 affordable housing units, according to the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance.
Public Housing Didn’t Just Disappear — It Was Removed
New Orleans didn’t just lose buildings—it lost neighborhoods, families, and decades of cultural memory. The demolitions weren’t inevitable. They were decisions. And like so many of the city’s post-Katrina “recovery” efforts, they benefited developers and policy agendas more than the people most affected.
As the city wrestles with today’s housing crisis, Lincoln Beach revitalization, and continued gentrification, the question remains: Who gets to live in New Orleans—and who gets pushed out?
Because the answer is no longer just about affordability. It’s about justice.
