For three decades New Orleans has had a black mayor but after Hurricane Katrina the racial demographics of the city changed. The 2006 mayoral race was the closest a white candidate has come to winning the election since the first black mayor was elected in 1977. In 2010 the city may not only see a change in face but also a change in the race of its mayor.

Mayor Ray Nagin’s plan to proceed with the redevelopment of the Iberville Housing Development, an effort he said would “transform” public housing, marks a kind of final chapter for yet another housing project devastated by Katrina.

During his final State of the City address on Wednesday, Mayor C. Ray Nagin discussed the issues he believed were most important to rebuilding New Orleans: construction, redeveloping housing, economic development and safety.

Mayor C. Ray Nagin painted a picture of a New Orleans that is on a steady track toward recovery four years after Hurricane Katrina in his final State of the City address on Wednesday night.