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The “jack-o-lantern effect” describes a patchwork of restored or new properties surrounded by areas of blight and devastation, often resulting from selective redevelopment. This approach has been applied to urban renewal projects that appear to favor one demographic over another, reinforcing beliefs and fears. In New Orleans, many black residents felt betrayed by their political leaders for allowing predominantly white neighborhoods to be restored before predominantly black neighborhoods.
Shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, including the port city of New Orleans, many refugees were shipped to other cities, such as Houston, Texas, or given good housing for temporary relocation . The hope was that federal, state and local government agencies would rebuild and restore many neighborhoods to their pre-Katrina status. In fact, a selective reconstruction program helped create what many critics call the jack-o-lantern effect.
In terms of urban renewal efforts following blight or disaster, the jack-o-lantern effect could be described as a patchwork of restored or new properties surrounded on all sides by areas of blight and devastation. When a particular area has its utilities restored to the exclusion of surrounding areas, the effect is similar to a single Halloween jack-o-lantern lighting up an otherwise dark neighborhood.
When residents of New Orleans’ largely black 9th Ward were allowed back into the area, many were stunned to see the little progress made toward repairs and renovations. Instead, government and private agencies offered to purchase individual lots from landlords who no longer wanted to live in New Orleans. These offers have often been rejected for being significantly less than the value of the property.
Some political leaders and 9th Ward supporters believed that the government wanted to acquire the property to build more expensive housing units for returning New Orleans white residents. Only then would the levies be repaired to meet their original standards.
However, the jack-o-lantern effect didn’t start with the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The idea of renovating selected areas of a run-down or devastated city has been around for centuries. When the Golden Age of railroads ended, for example, city planners often created a jack-o-lantern effect by renovating high-income or commercial areas first and seemingly ignoring lower-income neighborhoods. It is not uncommon to see smaller towns and cities with small pockets of active commerce or housing surrounded by areas of run-down or decay.
The jack-o-lantern effect has often been applied to urban renewal projects that appear to favor one demographic over another. In New Orleans, many black residents felt betrayed by their political leaders for allowing predominantly white neighborhoods to be restored before predominantly black neighborhoods. Creating a jack-o-lantern effect through selective redevelopment can serve to reinforce these beliefs and fears, so planners and other government agencies need to be aware of the effects a hodgepodge approach to redevelopment can have on residents and business owners.
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