James S. Russell walks the new memorial at the World Trade Center site, and finds it "a place of quiet dignity" that is saddled with an unnecessary $300 million museum and visitors center.
Russell says that the "rush to commemorate resulted in a compromised, but elegant muddle."
Russell praises a water feature that commemorates the victims of the disaster and a row of white oaks that are part of the landscaping:
"Though [landscape architect Peter] Walker has created a place of quiet dignity with the ranks of trees and the plane of granite, pleasant ambivalence trumps the expression of tragedy. Once the site can be opened to surrounding streets, local Wall Street workers will gather at lunch."
Russell says the forthcoming museum and visitors are more than the memorial needs.
FULL STORY: Pools Mist Names of the Dead With Grace at 9/11 Memorial
Building Ramps Up at World Trade Center Site
The New York Times reports that yes, construction is beginning to move more rapidly at Ground Zero.
Political Skirmishes Delaying Ground Zero Construction
New York City's Ground Zero has sat as an empty hole for years. Though infrastructure work is underway, politics are holding the rebuilding back, according to this interview with New Yorker architecture critic Paul Goldberger.
20 Years After 9/11: The 'Age of Skyscrapers' Is Nowhere Near Over
Despite predictions that the events of September 11, 2001 would be the end of skyscrapers, U.S. cities are building more tall buildings than ever.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
New York’s Deadliest Neighborhoods for Pedestrians
Pedestrian deaths rose last year, but remain below pre-2020 levels.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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