The sights all around Baton Rouge are rapidly changing — and not just because of Gustav’s destruction. There’s new construction all over town.The town has actually been changing for a while now, especially in the areas around the University. Slowly, old and worn out buildings have been plowed and new buildings have been put in their place.  That’s how it’s supposed to go — I’m told this is progress.One type of new construction, however, seems to defy the national and local trends — new apartment buildings. They’re popping up all over town, and in the face of a possible national recession and a damaging hurricane season, I’m starting to wonder if these new complexes will become the new Tigerland?The housing market seems fairly simple.  People need places to live and are willing to pay money for that service. Entrepreneurs are willing to provide them with a place to live in exchange for their money.    Those two meet up, some papers are signed and everyone goes home happy. Right?For the most part that’s how it goes — but things aren’t static and at some point someone figured out they can make more money by raising rent and building ritzier places to live. And that’s exactly what’s happened in many of the areas surrounding the University. Outside development companies are buying up used and bruised plots of land and putting up shiny new apartment complexes.Calling these new structures apartment complexes may be misleading, as these aren’t just any apartment complexes — they are opulent estates with fountains, laundry services and some fairly expensive rental rates.That’s the market, though.It’s an issue of supply and demand and if there is enough demand to justify fancy apartments, then there should be no problem — we’re a capitalist society. Baton Rouge is not a static city with an ideal housing market — until recently it’s been quite inflated.After Hurricane Katrina the housing market around Baton Rouge inflated with prices staying high despite national decreases. It was speculated that a majority of the refugees from New Orleans would make their homes here — increasing the demand for housing in the area. That inflation proved artificial and according to a recent Sept. 16 Daily Reveille article, the Baton Rouge housing market seems to be returning to normal.Prices are finally coming down and things look good, but there is an unseen problem at work here.After Katrina, a ton new housing construction ???? was approved for the Baton Rouge area based on increased population projections.But more recent population projections for the Baton Rouge area have shown the city increasing in population, but not at the rate forecast after Hurricane Katrina.The population issue, combined with the frequently predicted economic recession, the demise of AIG and recent federal buyouts seeming likely makes things look rather dreary for our newly-constructed fancy apartments.Without a population large enough to support an excess of luxury housing but an economy that leaves consumers without the necessary capital to purchase said housing, these luxury apartments could turn into slums in a short amount of time.There’s nothing wrong with a business failing, but slums decrease property values and the image of the city itself — especially if they are highly visible. This is just speculation, but it has a bit of historical precedent. Here in Baton Rouge we’ve seen this happen before — in Tigerland.Most University students would laugh at the idea that Tigerland was once a lush and thriving area — but it’s the truth. Long before the members of the University’s current freshman class were even twinkles in their parents’ eyes Tigerland was a popular area with fancy apartments and that refreshing “new housing” smell.The oil bust and various other economic factors slowly took Tigerland down to its current dilapidated state.Tigerland has been run-down for years now, and without the proper documentation it’s nearly impossible to say how long it took or when exactly it fell.It’s hard to predict the future of the Baton Rouge housing market post-Katrina and it’s especially hard to predict with the looming threat of financial armageddon broadcast from Wall Street on a daily basis. That being said, those fancy apartments could be a few harsh economic years away from too many vacancies, worries about operating costs and banishment to slum status. The owners and operators of our new fancy apartments should take a long hard look at Tigerland — it’s an example with a great deal of merit and the strong smell of inevitability.  —-contact Skylar Gremillion at [email protected]