>Dr. Vinturella lost two houses and a car in the storm, but assures us that his loved ones are well, and that he was adequately insured (assuming that the insurers will eventually pay reasonabThere are a few metrics that give us a sense of where New Orleans stands relative to a half-year ago before Katrina. The Times-Picayune tells us that population is at 41% in the City, then gives other measures for the metro area: the labor force is at 68%; 91% of hotels are open, though many rooms are occupied by locals at FEMA’s expense. Restaurants are estimated at 37%, while hospital beds are at 50%.

Would it be useful to have one number that represents a composite of the measurables, with a lot of informed subjectivity? John Vinturella calls that number the Hospitality Index (HI), and suggests that it represents how N.O. is faring in terms of its "hospitality" toward people who live in the City, those that expect to return, and other visitors.

Dr. Vinturella lost two houses and a car in the storm, but assures us that his loved ones are well, and that he was adequately insured (assuming that the insurers will eventually pay reasonabl

es other measures for the metro area: the labor force is at 68%; 91% of hotels are open, though many rooms are occupied by locals at FEMA’s expense. Restaurants are estimated at 37%, while hospital beds are at 50%.

Would it be useful to have one number that represents a composite of the measurables, with a lot of informed subjectivity? John Vinturella calls that number the Hospitality Index (HI), and suggests that it represents how N.O. is faring in terms of its "hospitality" toward people who live in the City, those that expect to return, and other visitors.

Dr. Vinturella lost two houses and a car in the storm, but assures us that his loved ones are well, and that he was adequately insured (assuming that the insurers will eventually pay reasonab

pital beds are at 50%.

Would it be useful to have one number that represents a composite of the measurables, with a lot of informed subjectivity? John Vinturella calls that number the Hospitality Index (HI), and suggests that it represents how N.O. is faring in terms of its "hospitality" toward people who live in the City, those that expect to return, and other visitors.

Dr. Vinturella lost two houses and a car in the storm, but assures us that his loved ones are well, and that he was adequately insured (assuming that the insurers will eventually pay reasonab

pitality Index (HI), and suggests that it represents how N.O. is faring in terms of its "hospitality" toward people who live in the City, those that expect to return, and other visitors.

Dr. Vinturella lost two houses and a car in the storm, but assures us that his loved ones are well, and that he was adequately insured (assuming that the insurers will eventually pay reasonab

>Dr. Vinturella lost two houses and a car in the storm, but assures us that his loved ones are well, and that he was adequately insured (assuming that the insurers will eventually pay reasonable claims). With all the misery inflicted by the storm, John feels personally lucky, a victim of only “massive inconvenience.”

The informed subjectivity comes from his experiences as an “urban warrior,” fighting his way through packed streets looking for a grocery, a gym, a dry cleaner, a barber shop, and a restaurant where wait time is less than an hour. All the while he is living in an unfamiliar part of town and paying exorbitant rent.

HI may be thought of as a measure of how inviting and supportive the City feels to its constituents relative to some norm representing New Orleans before the storm. We hope that, on some characteristics, the Index can exceed 100%, that is, where performance in some category is better than before the storm. Ethics