Final answer:
New Orleans addressed building abandonment through community agency involving charter schools, reductions in public housing, and demographic changes, but these efforts did not fully resolve the systemic issues. Urban Renewal and gentrification often led to displacements without creating the needed housing. In contrast, other regions showcased effective community networks providing support in similar situations.
Step-by-step explanation:
New Orleans has taken novel approaches to address the problem of building abandonment. Attempts included empowering local communities to enact changes such as charter school transformation, public housing reduction, and demographic shifts. However, these actions also had the side effects of forcibly moving poorer populations to the suburbs and changed the city's racial demographics. Additionally, Urban Renewal programs intended to clear slums and replace them with decent housing rarely fulfilled their promise of new residential developments, leading instead to parking lots and highways which failed to resolve systemic issues. The city's reliance on gentrification as a mechanism also caused displacements and did not fundamentally address long-term structural challenges.
Learning from the broader context, other regions have demonstrated the effectiveness of community collaboration and strong volunteer networks to support those affected by systemic issues in the absence of substantial government funding. These networks, often composed of churches, schools, nonprofits, and volunteers, have shown resilience and adaptability in addressing social needs and mitigating the impacts of economic decline and natural disasters.