With all the craziness happening in Boston last week, I haven't had much time to digest everything from the trip. One of the first things that I've realized since our return is how many "transplants" we met while in New Orleans. Besides Seth and the Councilmember, many of the people that Emma and I talked to were not native to New Orleans. Rather, they moved there at some point in their careers in an attempt to improve the city.
That fact brings me back to a conversation we had in class one day; Cherie asked the class the following question: given the option, would you go back to your hometown and plan for them? I said I would rather plan for another city, but that brought up the question of identity and the idea of "outsiders" coming in and trying to suggest solutions to a city that is not their own.
For me, it was comforting to see Tia, Jeff, Lekedra, and others from places other than New Orleans come in and make the city their own. As Lekedra mentioned on the tour, you can't walk in and assume that you own the place; instead, it's a long and time-intensive process. You have earn the trust of the community before you can start recommending changes. I hope that if I decide to work as a planner one day, I can remember the lessons learned from the professionals we met on our trip.
