Practicalities aside, New Orleans will rebuild, and soon

The destruction and chaos in New Orleans right now make it seem frivolous to consider the future, but in the weeks ahead, the Crescent City faces the challenge of deciding whether to rebuild and, if so, how.

And if history, including San Francisco's experience in 1906, is any indication, the response will be a determined return to life -- with an emphasis on getting things done quickly, rather than getting them done right.

"Survivors don't want to take time and rethink the city. They want back what they've lost," said Stephen Tobriner, an architecture professor at the University of California who is writing a book that looks at the 1906 earthquake and fire.

In the abstract, it's easy to imagine a scenario in which New Orleans' storied history comes to an end: Why put a city of 485,000 people back into the middle of a narrow marsh between the nation's largest river and a 300-square-mile lake? Or why not wait until planners evaluate the best way to place a city in such an environmentally precarious location?

But in real life, neither scenario is likely. With the exception of the oldest neighborhoods, such as the French Quarter and the business district, New Orleans already is a largely artificial creation. It has survived until now only because 172 miles of canals and 20 pumping stations siphoned water out to bayous beyond a city protected by 129 miles of levees.

For New Orleans to function at even the most basic level, the levees that collapsed last week must be rebuilt, along with streets and sewers and power lines. Once that's done, there's a civic commitment to start anew.

"One thing to remember is the sheer strength of inertia of investment that is in place -- aided in many cities by insurance companies and financial institutions," said Lawrence Vale, an MIT urban design professor.

"The other is less tangible -- the emotional attachment to a city or a neighborhood. There's a powerful human desire to return to that and restore that."

This desire is seen through history, for New Orleans is not the only city leveled by natural disaster or war. Examples include London, then the world's largest city, which was swallowed by flames in 1666. Adolf Hitler had Warsaw razed after a 1944 uprising. The 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco destroyed 28,000 buildings and killed about 3,000 people.

In all those cities, rebuilding began as soon as it was humanly possible.

Unlike London in 1666 or San Francisco in 1906, New Orleans is not a city on the rise: The population has shrunk by nearly 150,000 people since 1960, and 28 percent of its residents live below the poverty line.

But there are economic spurs to rebuild, such as New Orleans' role in the national economy as one of the nation's largest ports.

Another factor is an affection for the city that reaches far beyond its borders.

People around the world have sumptuous memories of the French Quarter or are beguiled by such neighborhoods as the Garden District, both of which sustained relatively minor damage. Louisiana and the national government have a stake in showing they're capable of restoring one of the United States' favorite cities -- preferably with at least some signs of progress by the next Mardi Gras in February.