New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff's "Reflections: New Orleans and China" showed that he shared the same affliction as Times foreign affairs columnist Tom Friedman -- gauging the success of the strong central power of Communist China by looking at its shining and efficient surface, without questioning its effect on the nation's unseen citizenry. For good measure, he even held Ronald Reagan responsible for both the devastation from Hurricane Katrina and last year's deadly Minneapolis bridge collapse.
Ouroussoff wrote:
For Americans watching events unfold on television late last month, the arduous evacuation of New Orleans and the grandeur of the Olympic Games couldn't have made for a starker contrast.
However one feels about its other policies, the Chinese government is clearly not afraid to invest in the future of its cities. The array of architecture it created for the Beijing Olympics was only part of a mosaic of roads, bridges, tunnels, canals, subway lines and other projects that have transformed a medieval city of wood and brick into a modern metropolis overnight.
The phrase "Potemkin Village" apparently means nothing to architecture critics. And perhaps some reprioritizing of that infrastructure spending would be in order, given the state of China's schools, hundreds of which collapsed during the recent earthquakes, resulting in grievous loss of young life.
And the Chinese government was able to "create" for the Olympics partly by bulldozing the homes of its citizens. The left-wing Guardian newspaper put the number at around 1.5 million displaced Chinese.
Ouroussoff then made an odious comparison:
Meanwhile, three full years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, much of the city remains a wasteland. As Hurricane Gustav raced toward the Gulf Coast, it became clear that the city's patchwork levee system could not guarantee the safety of its citizens. The evacuation of tens of thousands of residents was cheered as some sort of victory.
Who is to blame for New Orleans' plight? Ronald Reagan, of course. The critic had no room to discuss the incompetence of local officials or questions about what really caused the Minneapolis bridge collapse, simply stating:
Anyone who has watched the film "Chinatown" knows the story of William Mulholland's aqueduct, which transformed Los Angeles from a desert wasteland into a sunny paradise of trim lawns and orange groves. Less known is the story of modern New Orleans, which exists because of the system of canals, levees and pumps -- the largest in the world -- that were used to drain acres of marshland.
This kind of bold government planning died long ago, of course, a victim of both the public's disillusionment with the large-scale Modernist planning strategies of the postwar era and the antigovernment campaigns of the Reagan years. The consequences were obvious as soon as Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. And they have been reaffirmed many times since, with the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis and myriad accounts of our country's crumbling infrastructure.
Still, many Americans stubbornly regard any kind of large-scale public works project with suspicion. Three years ago, for example, the nonprofit Urban Land Institute unveiled a master plan for New Orleans that would have transformed large parts of the city into wetland areas. But the proposal, which was released as thousands of people were struggling to make their way back to the city, caused a public outcry and was immediately dropped. The institute compounded the problem by not including a workable proposal for how to house those dislocated by the plan.
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
China
September 15, 2008 - 14:58 ET by ForbusThe Chinese may well have prettied up Beijing for the Summer Olympics...but what about the rest of the country?
May 12,2008 Sichuan earthquake:
69,107 killed
374,176 injured
18,222 missing
4.8 million homeless.
Bravo NY Times, or should I
September 15, 2008 - 15:01 ET by taterBravo NY Times, or should I say NY Pravda. China, Cuba, really any country that hangs on to communism is a large failure of a government. The Slimes can try to polish the turd all they want.
www.theholyrosary.org
"There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we can not resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary." -Sister Lucia
Can I Get a Kelo?
September 15, 2008 - 15:11 ET by Copperhead RidgeJust kick those icky people off of their property so the state can develop land to increase tax revenues.
David Souter is probably enamored with China's urban development, too.
What the hell makes these people think that the federal government can take care of a bridge better than state government?
obviously, what the world needs...
September 15, 2008 - 15:12 ET by superdoughis more communism. The people may be poor and oppressed, but they would be safer from hurricanes. And as a bonus, the only thing destroyed is cardboard and concrete shacks.
gotta have more cowbell baby!
message to the American
September 15, 2008 - 15:19 ET by TruthMongermessage to the American people:
now that we've defeated communism
we should have it here
good call
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
Dear Mr. Ouroussoff,
September 15, 2008 - 15:25 ET by Prester JohnThe Communist Party of China has killed something on the order of 100 million or so (what's a few million plus or minus among friends?) of its own citizens since it took power in the late 1940s in it's pursuit of building a socialist paradise.
How many of your fellow Americans are you willing to kill to do the same here? A number rounded to the nearest million will do.
Thank you.
Chinatown was a movie not a documentary.
September 15, 2008 - 15:40 ET by IamTinmanThe real story of the rape of the Owens valley and the destruction of a once fertile valley to satisfy the growing thirst of the Los Angeles basin isn't over. They are now taking water from the northern half of the state destroying animal species and habitats and planning on taking even more through a combination of gerrymandered voting districts and backroom deals in Sacramento.
New Orleans was a city built below sea level in a mosquito infested swamp. It has been a recipe for disaster since its inception and administration after administration has refused to throw good money after bad. Reagan was just one of those along with Saint William of Clinton.
What Beijing has to do with aging american infrastructure I still don't get. Is he recommending that we do what China did and flood New Orleans and hundreds of other towns displacing millions of people so that we can build a dam.
He's a strange man that Nicolai Ouroussoff.
China needs ZERO permits to bulldose millions, ya MORON
September 15, 2008 - 15:59 ET by upcountrywaterInfrastructure projects ,can't hold a candle to Entitlements..
I found one project the Alaska Pipeline needed almost 1,350 PERMITS..This is in the 70's... what 13,000 now?
No oil refineries in over 30 years...
No Nuks, coal, or DRILLING....
We are being crushed BY tons of paper work.
CLIMATE CRISIS
IranianUranium
Not to mention the
September 15, 2008 - 19:26 ET by Eileen RightNot to mention the significant influence Enviro-Whackjobs have on China when considering national and local projects.
Nicky, you nut, you!
September 15, 2008 - 16:10 ET by SickofLibsGuess Nicky got sucked in:
"China's shiny and efficient surface"
Clay - this reminds me of
September 15, 2008 - 16:50 ET by Gary HallDuring the severe Midwest flooding, earlier this summer, flooded out folks in the area of New Hartford, Iowa, were making it known that; well, acccording to the LA Times:
Who's fault that Bill Clinton's administration did not address their problems during the next 8 years? You guessed it: "the Reagan administration." No mention of the Clinton administration.
During this same flooding, another town had a different problem, or was it the same problem, with more pilled on top of it. In this AP piece, Midwest flood victims feel misled by feds :
James Witt's FEMA in 1999 - oh Lordy, these were the days of the great years of FEMA in action, the days of peace, prosperity and when FEMA and the Corps could do no wrong. These were the Clinton years. Any mention of Bill Clinton or James Witt here?
That was not a question. (;~> gary
more government... yeah that sure worked for the bridge
September 15, 2008 - 17:21 ET by wizardjrLet's see, the Minneapolis bridge was under the safety control of the government since it was designed, during its construction, and during its lifetime, right up until it fell in the water. And during that time several presidents came and went, but the bureaucrats were always there, USDOT, MNDOT, OSHA, etc.
I'm sure all the paperwork is correct, though.
Thank God!
September 15, 2008 - 17:46 ET by ThisnThatI've been laboring under the delusion that Bush was responsible for Katrina -- not knowing all the while that it was Reagan.
A huge load has been lifted from my shoulders. My brow is no longer furrowed. I am no longer slouched over. There's a spring in my step that's been missing for years.
My vow? From this day forward, I'm reading the NYT cover to cover -- no telling what else I might learn.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
Another reason among millions
September 15, 2008 - 19:48 ET by BobAnthonyTO USE THE NY SLIMES FOR THE BOTTOM OF A BIRDCAGE OR LITTERBOX!
"you can wrap an old fish in
September 15, 2008 - 23:27 ET by Eileen Right"you can wrap an old fish in a piece"
JFK's fault
September 15, 2008 - 21:09 ET by nkviking75The flawed design of the I-35W bridge was commissioned in the early 60's, so if we're going to play that game, it was JFK's fault.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
I-35 W BRIDGE...
September 15, 2008 - 21:37 ET by danybhoyAs someone who was born & raised in the TwinCities, I will tell you about another part of the story. We have no real shortage of transportation funding here in Minnesota, but we do have a problem with how we spend it.
Instead of taking care of existing roads & bridges in the TwinCities, where the bulk of the traffic is, the idiots at the Mn state capital spent our money on Lite Rail that will never be cost effective, they spent tons of money on bike trails in Northern MN, & outstate MN has some very nice roads & highways. It's a damn shame that not many people drive on those roads.
I am sick of these assclowns from the NYSlimes, & other "elite" MSM outlets trying to explain what went wrong with the I-35 W bridge. Maybe a story can be done about how it will be open for buisiness on Thursday, waaaaay ahead of schedule. ALL road projects should be done this way, bounuses for getting crap done on time or earlier needs to the norm. But since they won't write stories like that, I say shut the hell up to the NYSlimes.
"...it's still We The People, Right?" Megadeth
dany
September 15, 2008 - 21:43 ET by BlondeFrom my short time in the Cities, I was under the impression that there were only two seasons in Minnesota.....winter, & road construction.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
We have those same to
September 15, 2008 - 21:45 ET by Free StinkerWe have those same to seasons in New Jersey, B.
I think it's common across most Northern states.
Close, Blonde
September 16, 2008 - 10:42 ET by CobraManYou're close, Blonde. The two seasons are: Snow Removal and Road Repair.
Obama: My job is above my pay grade
We are spending it on bridge repair
September 16, 2008 - 10:57 ET by CobraManI live in Minneapolis and I was watching the news when the bridge fell. I don't know how the Lite Rail has to do with that collapse as that bridge was UNDER REPAIR when it fell and it was inspected every two years prior to this repair, so where's you lack of funding as a cause of this collapse?
It seems to me that you have a vendetta against the various transportation alternatives to cars. Well, guess what? A LOT of Minnesotans enjoys accessing the lakes and parks without having to fight motorized vehicular traffic (you know cars!) for access to these public places. I'm old enough to remember when it was nearly impossible to ride a bike around the lakes without fighting traffic and I can attest that it's a lot more enjoyable now that we have dedicated trails. It's a lot safer too, and you drivers don't have to worry about the three-foot law when motorized vehicular traffic is separated from bikes and hikers. It’s safer and more enjoyable for everyone. I fully support the alternative transportation funding and I wish there were a lot more of it.
Obama: My job is above my pay grade