Guiding Principles

Self-determination & Inclusion: The State and the City must commit to a transparent planning processes and to giving civic and community voices from the immediate neighborhood and adjacent neighborhoods a meaningful place at the planning table.    Memorialization: WTC bears witness to the death of thousand of New Yorkers, residents of other cities and citizens of many other countries, of innocent people of all cultures, ethnic backgrounds and religious belief. It is also a testament to the surrounding community and the living, near and far, which responded to the tragedy. A fitting memorial will honor the dead and their families, celebrate the human spirit, and communicate the worldwide symbolic meaning of the site.    Livability and Balance: Develop WTC with fresh eye, inviting those elements-- residential, commercial and retail, community places and services--that contribute to a 24-hour mixed use character; and connecting the distinct but related neighborhoods of TriBeCa, Battery Park City, Chinatown, South Street Seaport, the Finical District, and the Lower East Side.    Arts and Culture: The arts humanize, give voice, stimulate, educate, socialize, build esteem, attract business and are essential to Downtown' s rebirth and economic recovery.    Productivity: New York' s strength is in the intellectual, technological and creative skills and hard work of its people. Seek out essential new business sectors, individual entrepreneurs, and small businesses, as well as large.    Decentralization: communications technologies now make it possible for many business sectors to disperse without loss of cohesion and make high-density conglomeration less necessary.    Sustainability: Build a healthy neighborhood for our children and us and as a model for other cities. Sustainability has many applications: "Green" architecture, energy efficiency, air and water quality, construction codes, materials and methods, use of local manufacturing capabilities for reconstruction purposes, utilities, and emergency services, pedestrian and mass transportation, outdoor spaces and our rivers.    Diversity: Lower Manhattan' s historic character is reflected in today' s vibrant ethnic communities, convergence of many cultures in the workforce and the energy of local colleges with their multi-cultural student bodies poised to inherit an equal share of the future city.    Efficient Transportation: Recognize that Lower Manhattan is a surface and sub surface transportation hub of the PATH, LIRR, city subways and buses, water traffic, landscape features, pedestrian connections, deliveries, sanitation and security. Services must be up to future needs without burdening to the other neighborhoods.    Pride of Place: architecture is public art that is a measure of our values, teaches design, proportion, materials, health, technology, and science--buildings and spaces that encourage visual and social literacy.