What New Orleans Looks Like Today

Homeless look for rest in the oppressive heat bearing down on New Orleans.

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Some housing has changed; many homeless remain; celebration continues

The New Orleans of today looks a lot different than it did six years ago, even before Hurricane Katrina. Most of the city's public housing stock has been brought down, and new mixed-income housing developments have gone up. Much of the older houses throughout the city have been either abandoned or bulldozed, some to make room for a new hospital complex slated to come online in the near future. Homelessness remains a problem, though the city is making a significant dent in the problem. Still, New Orleans has not lost its spirit of celebration, captured best in its Second Line parades and Mardi Gras Indian gatherings. Photographer Shawn Escoffery traveled to New Orleans to shoot fresh pictures of the city as it absorbs its new housing stock, and endures its ongoing homeless problems. He also captured a Second Line parade where residents came out to revel and recognize how far they've come in six years since the levees broke. The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center has provided up-to-date information on where the city's recovery stands, the stats of which accompany some of the photos.