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.
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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