Why the redevelopment of Ground Zero could be 'the most complicated, contentious and warily watched real estate venture ever undertaken.'
"Distraught mothers and widows just last week staged a protest demanding that construction stop on the portion of the site where most victims died. The trade center's oft-criticized developer has hired his own architect, who almost certainly will leave his stylistic mark on whatever rises into the now-truncated lower Manhattan skyline. And, most disturbing of all... the current plan for the 16-acre site could face profound revisions before the first cornerstone is laid. But from here, things get complicated on virtually every front imaginable: Funding. Square footage of office space versus retail space. Adjacent transportation hubs. Parking. The precise location and design of buildings. Pedestrian access....Exacerbating the situation is the question of who really controls the site....Of all the debate about the redevelopment of ground zero, the amount of office space remains among the most heated topics....Engineers believe the walls of the crater at ground zero are unstable and need to be reinforced to safely house the memorial and withstand the crowds that will visit. But many victims' families are enraged at the idea that the pit will be altered."
Thanks to Connie Chung
Read the full story: WTC site's fate far from settled
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority