Cleaning Up a Housing Mess and Some Music Greats

Arwa here, still filling in for Lee Hill while he's out on vacation. Also, we had Jacki Lyden guest host the program today as Michel Martin took the day off for the holidays. Both Michel and Lee return tomorrow.

Housing Crisis in N.O.L.A.

Last week, violent protests erupted on the streets of New Orleans over a City Council decision to allow the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to demolish 4,500 public housing units. The city was in a housing crisis before Hurricane Katrina, and it only got worse after the storms. The City Council says it recognizes the urgent need for affordable housing, but prefers mix-income housing units to run-down, partially-destroyed low-income units that currently exist. Malcolm Suber is a local New Orleans activist, and he argues that the affordable housing buildings should stay.

The Housing Debate Continues

The debate over low-income vs. mixed-income housing is not just isolated to New Orleans. It's a discussion that has been ongoing for years throughout the country, especially as the number of people at risk of homelessness continues to be strikingly high. We invited two professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to explain the pros and cons of decisions, like those made by the New Orleans City Council. Xavier de Souza Briggs is a professor of sociology and urban planning, and Larry Vale is the head of the department of urban studies and planning. Professor Vale explains that mixed-income housing isn't a bad idea in and of itself, but usually poor people get mixed out of the equation. Professor Briggs explains that New Orleans is an extreme case of the affordable housing crisis and that mixed-income housing can be successful if safeguards are installed.

Affordable Can Also Mean Green

And we continue our conversation on housing. Back in August we focused on green building efforts in New Orleans. Now we turn to another green movement. Jakada Imani heads a movement, Green for All, to better communities through the use of eco-power. He says urban communities can be revived from the inside out, starting first with climate change. Making homes more efficient does two things, he argues: it ultimately reduces the cost of energy bills and second, it opens up a new job market.

Let us know what you think about his initiative.

Wrapping Up with Football, Music Hits and the Death of a Jazz Legend

And as we wrap up today's show, we highlighted our first pick off our Most Fascinating of 2007 list. The Hawaii football team's miraculous undefeated season is landing them in the Sugar Bowl for the first time. We spoke with Bobby Curren about the team's season, and we'll continue to highlight more fascinating people of the year before 2007 comes to a close.

Then, NPR Arts Producer Felix Contreas highlighted some his favorite musical hits of 2007. Nat King Cole, Herbie Hancoc, and Cuban drummer Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintano make his list.

And finally, we pay a special tribute to Oscar Peterson. The great jazz musician died this weekend of kidney failure. His career lasted seven decades.

That's the show for today. Send us your feedback. Let us know which conversations you like the most and how you're spending your holidays.

Michel Martin

3:22 PM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink

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3:22 PM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink