Landrieu Says City Will Increase Battle on Blight

Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the city will step up efforts to rid New Orleans of blighted properties.

On Tuesdays, Landrieu said the city will target properties within a five-block radius of playgrounds and in areas with a lot of traffic.

Landrieu has made it his goal to rid the city of up to 10,000 blighted and vacant properties over the next three years.

The mayor says abandoned properties make the city less safe and hurt home values and the city's quality of life.

Landrieu says data from the U.S. Postal Service and Greater New Orleans Community Data Center show an estimated 58,000 blighted and vacant address in the city, the highest percentage of blighted properties in the nation.

posted: 08:11 AM Wednesday, November 3, 2010 By: The Associated Press