NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ With Isaac bearing down on New Orleans, the city finds itself at a delicate moment in its rebuilding since Hurricane Katrina struck seven years ago.
Private and government investment is fueling the push to overhaul some of the city’s troubled but culturally rich neighborhoods near the French Quarter, where poor families are being replaced as wealthier ones move in.
Few would argue that the city’s in a boom _ and even gentrifying. But some question whether it will wither the roots that grew the city’s distinctive identity.
Much of the money for redevelopment is pouring into the Treme and Iberville neighborhoods that have been the hub of the city’s black culture.
Some residents there welcome the changes, while others gripe about being forced to move or fear that neighborhood businesses will close to make way for trendier establishments.
