36 Hours Uptown: When is demolition right?

At both the city and the neighborhood level, New Orleans is struggling with the tension between ridding itself of blight through demolition and preserving its history and architecture.

On Wednesday, the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative (which is redeveloping property in Central City) will hold a panel discussion featuring city officials and redevelopment leaders on the topic of demolition. Here’s their description of the event, via email:

Over the coming months and years, thousands of unoccupied properties throughout New Orleans face potential demolition through both public and private anti-blight initiatives.
Efforts to rid New Orleans of blighted properties, including the Landrieu Administration’s goal of addressing 10,000 blighted properties by 2013, raises important yet challenging concerns. In particular, how can we best eliminate blight while preserving neighborhood character and resiliency? While many blighted properties can be addressed by current owners or sold to new ones, hundreds of vacant structures lie in limbo – to either be protected for future redevelopment or demolished. In this choice, opinions vary widely on the use of demolition to eliminate blight and support neighborhood revitalization.
Please join us for a timely and important forum with leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Discussion will focus on existing demolition policies and programs as well as the opportunities and challenges in achieving effective blight elimination through demolition.

Also on Wednesday, the International School of Louisiana will hold its May monthly meeting, and the NOPD Second District will hold its weekly meeting, which is open to the public. For details and links to these and other events, see our calendar listings below.

Wednesday

• Weekly book sale at Latter Library. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Latter Library, 5120 St Charles.
• Workplace Wellness Mother’s Day Luncheon. 12 p.m., Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
• NOPD Second District weekly COMSTAT meeting (covering Uptown neighborhoods from Louisiana Avenue to Jefferson Parish). 12 p.m., Children’s Hospital.
• International School board meeting. 6 p.m., ISL campus at 1400 Camp Street, New Orleans.
• Blight: A panel discussion. 6 p.m., Christ Church Cathedral Stuart Hall, 2919 St. Charles Avenue

Thursday

• Voices Not Forgotten: Old School To New School. 10 a.m., Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard
• The NOPD Sixth District weekly COMSTAT meeting (covering the Irish Channel, Garden District and Central City). 2 p.m., Sixth District station, 1930 Martin Luther King Blvd.
• Trinity Episcopal Church weekly Choral Evensong featuring music director Albinas Prizgintas. 6:30 p.m., 1329 Jackson Avenue.
• Sistah’s Making A Change Tai Chi. 7 p.m., Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard.