Ground Zero: Can Libeskind Succeed?

The political, legal, and financial challenges faced by architect Daniel Libeskind are immense.

1 minute read

March 4, 2003, 11:00 AM PST

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


"How will the architect Daniel Libeskind's vision for a memorial park 30 feet below street level and a soaring 1,776-foot tower ever be built, with nearly everything from the financing to basic engineering decisions either in dispute or at least in limbo?...The more skeptical theorize that New York's political powers, led by Gov. George E. Pataki, selected the Libeskind plan not only for aesthetic or emotional reasons, but also because it obliges government to spend and do very little. The runner-up plan required constructing two costly latticework towers, but the less expensive winning design seems to commit government only to prepare the memorial park for the memorial itself. The rest will be fundamentally up to the private sector and the market."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

Monday, March 3, 2003 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

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 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 Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

The Seat of Government

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership

Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

February 3, 2025 - Todd Litman

Amtrak train with downtown Seattle in background.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record

The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

February 2, 2025 - Daily Hive

Close-up of Donald Shoup during interview.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86

Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

February 10, 2025 - StreetsBlog NYC

Top floors of blue and white apartment building with palm trees against sunny blue sky in Malibu, California.

LA County Leaders Seek to Increase Penalties for Rent Gouging

Landlords who raise rents sharply after disasters could face fines of up to $50,000.

February 11 - Los Angeles Times

Man and two children on bikes next to red and silver train on sunny day.

How ‘Anti-DEI’ Efforts Impact Sustainable Transportation Studies

Research into accessibility, transit equity, and traffic safety is losing federal funding at an alarming rate.

February 11 - Streetsblog USA

Man sitting in chair along River Seine in Paris with fishing pole.

River Seine ‘Teeming’ With Life

Decades of restoration efforts are yielding positive results as dozens of species of fish return to the once-polluted waterway.

February 11 - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.