New Orleans’ history of land ownership is deeply intertwined with issues of race and power, marked by periods of displacement, resilience, and ongoing struggles for equity.
The Original Stewards: Indigenous Lands Before Colonization
Long before European colonization, the area now known as New Orleans was inhabited by Indigenous tribes such as the Houma, Chitimacha, and Choctaw. These communities thrived along the Mississippi River, engaging in trade, agriculture, and cultural practices deeply connected to the land. The arrival of French colonizers in the early 18th century led to the systematic displacement of these Indigenous populations through force and deceitful treaties, severing their ancestral ties and laying the groundwork for a legacy of dispossession.
Enslavement and the Economics of Land Ownership
Established as a colonial outpost, New Orleans quickly became a hub for the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans were forced to labor on plantations producing sugar and cotton, generating immense wealth for white landowners. This wealth was often reinvested into acquiring more land, perpetuating economic power among the white elite and systematically denying Black individuals the opportunity to own property and build generational wealth.
Post-Emancipation: Struggles and Achievements
After the abolition of slavery in 1865, formerly enslaved individuals faced significant challenges in securing land. Despite systemic barriers, some Black families in New Orleans managed to acquire property, particularly in neighborhoods like Tremé, which became a cultural and economic center for the Black community. However, discriminatory lending practices and violent intimidation often overshadowed these achievements, suppressing Black land ownership and economic independence.
Jim Crow Era: Institutionalized Segregation and Disenfranchisement
The late 19th and early 20th centuries introduced the Jim Crow era, enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchising Black citizens. In New Orleans, practices like redlining systematically denied mortgages and insurance to predominantly Black neighborhoods, stifling economic growth and perpetuating poverty. Restrictive covenants further entrenched segregation by legally prohibiting the sale of property to Black individuals in certain areas, barring them from homeownership in more prosperous neighborhoods.
Urban Renewal and Displacement: The Claiborne Expressway
A stark example of racially motivated urban renewal in New Orleans is the construction of the Claiborne Expressway. Before the 1960s, North Claiborne Avenue was a vibrant corridor in the Tremé neighborhood, lined with oak trees and bustling with Black-owned businesses, social clubs, and cultural institutions.
In the 1950s, the federal government incentivized urban freeway construction by covering 90% of the costs. Despite community opposition, the Interstate-10 Claiborne Expressway was constructed above North Claiborne Avenue, leading to the destruction of 500 homes and numerous businesses. The expressway’s presence divided local neighborhoods, caused a collapse in the business district, and diminished overall quality of life. The once-thriving heart of the Black community was overshadowed by concrete pillars, leading to economic decline and cultural erosion that persists today.
Environmental Injustice: The Case of Gordon Plaza
The story of Gordon Plaza highlights the intersection of race, environmental injustice, and flawed urban planning. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the City of New Orleans developed the Gordon Plaza subdivision, marketing it as affordable housing primarily to Black, low- and middle-income families.
Unbeknownst to the residents, their homes were built atop the former Agriculture Street Landfill, a site contaminated with hazardous waste. In 1994, the area was designated a Superfund site due to soil contamination with lead, arsenic, and other carcinogens. Residents reported elevated rates of cancer and other health issues, sparking decades-long advocacy for relocation and reparations. In 2022, the City allocated $35 million for property buyouts, and by October 2024, demolitions of the contaminated homes began to make way for a community solar farm. This development marks a significant, albeit bittersweet, step toward rectifying the injustices faced by the residents of Gordon Plaza.
Hurricane Katrina: Exacerbating Inequities
The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 exposed the entrenched racial and economic disparities in New Orleans. Predominantly Black neighborhoods, such as the Lower Ninth Ward, suffered catastrophic flooding due to levee failures.
In the aftermath, residents faced numerous obstacles in returning and rebuilding, including inadequate assistance from programs like the Road Home initiative, which was marred by bureaucratic inefficiencies and allegations of racial bias. Meanwhile, developers seized the opportunity to acquire land in these devastated areas at depressed prices, leading to gentrification and further displacement of long-standing Black communities.
Contemporary Landscape: Ownership and Gentrification
Today, the question of who owns New Orleans is as layered as its history. The city has experienced a wave of gentrification, with rising property values and an influx of wealthier, often white, residents into historically Black neighborhoods.
Large-scale developments and the proliferation of short-term rentals, particularly through platforms like Airbnb, have further strained housing affordability and availability. According to the Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative, thousands of housing units have been converted into tourist accommodations, displacing long-term residents and driving up rents in working-class areas.
Policies granting tax abatements and incentives to developers have been criticized for prioritizing speculative investment over the needs of existing communities. As luxury apartments and entertainment districts rise, so do concerns that the city’s cultural soul is being sold off piece by piece, and the people who built New Orleans—from enslaved laborers to jazz pioneers—are being pushed out of their own neighborhoods.
A Call for Equity and Inclusion
The history of land ownership in New Orleans is a mirror reflecting the nation’s broader legacy of colonization, slavery, segregation, and systemic exclusion. The consequences of these historical injustices are still visible today—from the concrete pillars of the Claiborne Expressway to the poisoned ground of Gordon Plaza.
Repairing this history requires more than acknowledgment—it requires action. That includes equitable housing policy, community land trusts, reparative development, and centering the voices of those who have been historically pushed to the margins.
The true soul of New Orleans lies not in its image, but in its people—their rhythm, their roots, their resistance. To honor this city is to ensure that they are not only remembered, but rightfully rooted in the land they’ve long called home.
The post Who Really Owns New Orleans? A History of Land, Race, and Power appeared first on Big Easy.
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