"Love Don't Live Here Anymore": Economic Incentives for a More Equitable Model of Urban Redevelopment

Abstract

The exclusion of poor, underprivileged people in urban renewal projects has been discussed in depth by a number of scholars. While this issue is far from resolved, the post-Katrina redevelopment plans provide an opportunity to reevaluate notions of how to best redevelop urban spaces. In this Article, the author attempts to show that the interests of poor individuals can converge with those of city officials and developers in order to prevent the exclusion of the poor in post-Katrina New Orleans as well as future cities. To do so, the author relies on Law and Economics’ notion of the maximization of incentives and Critical Race Theory’s Interest Convergence Theory.