Try this line of thought.
New Orleans middle class will get the shaft. The forced eviction of middle class residents is the first step in the changing of the city. I see it as nothing more than a land grab. When all the residences are gone, the City can come in and condemn any part of the city they want and plan major redevelopment. The city can wait out (6-9 months) the middle class homeowner, who will eventually sell and move-on. The next step will be new building codes and height requirements. With a master plan of strictly luxury homes the tax base of the future will be huge. Of course there will be low-income housing projects for show and perhaps a high-speed rail to bring the workers into the tourist district.
The city is already lost. The working class that was living in rental housing has already moved on. The middle class is being forced off their land. The wealthy professional can easily relocate. The only people left to make the modern utopia is the City and State Governments.
Where will they get the money?
Oh, yeah. 52 billion more from us.
This is how the Communists operated in Havana after the Revolution. They 'appropriated' all of the more exclusive houses for themselves. Of course, if you were a party member, you got to stay where you were...