Why not turn New Orleans into the Venice of the USA ? If the ancient Romans could figure it out surley us “Moon Landers” can! What a tourist idea comments ?
As someone who lived in New Orleans and has been to Venice several times, I have to say: “It already is” and “Are you crazy?” at the same time? New Orleans is already surrounded by water on most sides and is protected from the Gulf of Mexico by miles of ever-shrinking habitat. The situation surrounding New Orleans is not exactly the same as that of Venice although the do share similarities on the surface.
Venice is a series of islands on the Adriatic that is also adapting to a sinking surface. It only has to deal with its own area. New Orleans has to worry about a huge amount of land area that extends all the way out to the Gulf of Mexico as well as Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi changing course. New Orleans land is soft and below sea level already.
Both New Orleans will permanently die in the face of the quicker estimates of global warming. By that, I mean they will be permanently under water and no long accessible to anyone.
Extreme engineering may save them both for a while but the solutions aren’t the same.
I love New Orleans, and would like it to survive, but, to add to the above post, I don’t think Venice is a hurricane target.
Much of New Orleans is below sea level. What you envision would not turn it into another “Venice” but instead another “Lake Ponchartrain.”
Plus, Venice wasn’t built by the Romans.