A third limitation is that these changes could be due
to the increased proportion of people returning to the area
after the hurricanes of 2005. It is difficult to measure
the rate of population increase in New Orleans after the
hurricanes without a full count of residents. However,
the U.S. Census Bureau calculated population estimates
based on building permits, estimates of construction,
mobile home shipments, and estimates of housing loss
for July 2007 and July 2008. These estimates indicate a
population of 288,113 in 2007 and 336,644 in 2008, a
16.8% increase. It is unlikely that the increase in population was responsible for the 56.8% overall increase in the
number of cyclists observed over the same time period.15
Additionally, in November 2007 there were 9,450 active
residential addresses receiving mail in the 70117 zip code
(which encompasses the study area), and in November
2008 there were 10,350 addresses receiving mail, roughly
a 10% increase