The Impossible Burden Of The WTC Memorial

Memorials should be timeless: yet political pressures have dictated that we develop a memorial design two years after Sept. 11th's catastrophic morning. This is an invitation for aesthetic disaster.

1 minute read

December 2, 2003, 1:00 PM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


The more I've studied the eight designs chosen as finalists in the LMDC's World Trade Center Memorial competition, the less promising I have found the schemes. They all feel provisional, like ambitious first drafts. Still I am reluctant to condemn them, because their creators were handed a near-impossible brief

Thanks to Julie Taraska

Monday, December 1, 2003 in MetropolisMag.com

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 20, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Cars driving under automatic congestion pricing toll machines on Broadway next to the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan, New York City.

Data reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid off

After almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.

October 13, 2026 - Marcelo Remond

A row of tiny homes in Denver

Denver is solving homelessness. Why aren't the rest of us?

Since 2023, Denver's street homeless population has decreased by 64%, proving that effective tools exist to support those in need of housing.

October 14, 2026 - New York Times

A pencil rendering of Foundry Park, which shows skyscrapers and public green spaces.

Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment

The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.

15 minutes ago - Chicago Sun Times

The  San Francisco Centre Mall in 2006. Several stories are visible, all filled with people.

SF weighs putting data center inside abandoned mall

An unnamed technology company may buy the entire building, and convert one-third of it into what development consultants are calling a “regenerative urban energy center.”

1 hour ago - The San Francisco Standard

A flooded street in Michigan. A car is driving away from the camera. The water is up past the car's tires.

Michigan needs billions to save its water infrastructure. The state won't fund it

Michigan needs to invest $2.8 billion per year over the next 20 years to fix its water infrastructure. The FY 2027 budget allocates only $27.9 million.

October 22 - University Of Michigan