New Orleans district now world's greenest, claims Pitt

Brad Pitt claims he has helped turn New Orleans' devastated Lower Ninth Ward into "the greenest neighbourhood in the world".

The Hollywood star, in the city for the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, showed US TV cameras around the homes his Make It Right foundation has built in the area.

Pitt said 50 eco-houses - which he says are a "template for the future" - have been built so far and 150 more are planned.

The homes are designed for those residents who lost theirs in the 2005 disaster.

And he said they had been specially built to withstand future hurricanes.

The Ocean's Eleven star, who owns a property in New Orleans with partner Angelina Jolie, told NBC's Meet The Press: "None of these home owners will suffer those horrors. I feel very happy and secure about [them]. We wanted them to be safe, they had to be affordable, and we wanted to embed high-performance [technology]. With affordable housing, they're usually getting the worst materials, the cheapest materials, the most toxic materials - things that cause a bigger burden on the family. We thought, 'Well, let's see if the community will invest in this green technology."

Pitt said he wanted to help the Big Easy because he loved it so much.

"There's a feel and a smell and a sound that permeates this place that I just find intoxicating. And I love the people. There's some feeling of community and verve and excitement and colour that I don't find anywhere else."