Images of the Ninth Ward in New Orleans dominated the news after Hurricane Katrina hit in September 2005. Many people fled the area and never came back and it was feared that the Ninth Ward might become an abandoned neighborhood.

Ninth Ward, New Orleans, January 2015

The area no longer is awash in detritus, although the jungle of tall grass and debris remain.

Ninth Ward, New Orleans, January 2015

There are signs of a renewal, and not just in the much-publicized Make it Right enclave where prominent architects and builders helped rebuild on Brad Pitt’s investment.

Make it Right homes in New Orleans Ninth Ward

The construction at Martin Luther King Charter School nears completion. As does the work at the Andrew Sanchez Community Center. Once these open, the hope is people will really begin to return, the roads be fixed and the empty lots transformed. And come the next hurricane, the new retaining wall just might hold.