Hurricane Katrina damaged much of New Orleans’ public housing more than a decade ago. The city has been rebuilding low-income housing through mixed-income developments led by private and public partnerships. One of the city’s largest former housing developments is now the site of a project that will replace more than 800 units.
The Bienville Basin District is one component of a $292-million redevelopment at the site of the former Iberville housing projects in New Orleans. Originally constructed in the 1940s under the Wagner Bill, the Iberville had 800 public housing units. It was vacated after being damaged during Katrina and first slated for redevelopment in 2011 by the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) and the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development as part of a $600-million overhaul of public housing.