A new tower designed by architect Daniel Libeskind has a dramatic gash in the middle, which some say is too reminiscent of the horrors of 9/11.
"Is he trying to evoke the tragic collision of those 9/11 jets in the gashlike shapes, then offering us a symbol of rebirth in planted balconies? By telephone he says no. Instead, the idea is to extend the greenery of Madison Square Park into the sky, to make 'every apartment a penthouse,' since most floors would open to one of the gardens.
The core and a few super columns would need to thread their way through the Met Life building, then down to bedrock. As they rise, the super columns divide like fork tines, into smaller columns to run less obtrusively through apartments, then unite again to zoom though the wedges of space.
This would be the most daring feat of engineering and construction proposed by a developer in years. There's no price tag yet, but it is not an undertaking for the faint of heart or the light of wallet."
FULL STORY: Libeskind Flags 9/11, Spurned Master Plan in New Condo Tower

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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