Previously Featured in Rebuilding NYC

April 17 - April 25
Housing in Lower Manhattan
In a report released last week , Rebuild Downtown Our Town stresses the importance of lower Manhattan's tradional pattern of mixed-income housing, and discusses ways to maintain it (in pdf format). [This week, the group issued a clarification on the report. To read it, click here.]

April 5 - April 11
Helping 9/11 Rescue Workers
Many Ground Zero rescue workers and residents of lower Manhattan continue to suffer from health problems related to 9/11. US Representative Carolyn Maloney describes her plan to aid those in need and continue to examine what the health effects have been.

March 29 - April 4
The 9/11 Commission
On March 26 and 27, the federal commission investigating the 9/11 attacks held hearings in which top officials from the Bush and Clinton administrations testified. Read the testimonies of Richard Clarke, Madeline Albright, Colin Powell, William Cohen, Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, and Samuel Berger, or visit the 9/11 Commission's website about the hearing.

March 22 - March 28
The Last $1.2 Billion
$1.2 billion remains in a pool of federal rebuilding funds can be used for almost anything. Governor George Pataki seems to have his heart set on a rail link between downtown Manhattan, JFK and the Long Island Railroad. David Kallick of the Fiscal Policy Institute writes about other ways the money might be spent.

March 15 - March 21
City Planning Report
Last week the Department of City Planning issued an evaluation of the plan to develop Ground Zero. The illustrated report (in pdf format) calls for more open space, and more streets open to traffic.

March 8 - March 14
Ground Zero Environmental Impact Statement
New Yorkers have their latest chance to respond to the development at Ground Zero through the Environmental Impact Statement process. Read what people are saying.

February 23 - February 29
5,201 Memorials
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation recently put all designs entered into the Ground Zero memorial competition on display. Click here to see them.

January 23 - January 29
Permanent PATH Station
The plan for the permanent PATH station at Ground Zero, recently made public, is an oval-shaped structure of glass and steel with two "wings" rising from its spine. The retractable glass roof of the building allows daylight to reach the train tracks 60 feet below street level.

January 12 - January 22
Revising Absence
A revised design for the memorial at Ground Zero was recently made public. The design covers the austere plaza of the original design with trees, incorporates access to the bedrock level on the footprints of the Twin Towers, and adds an underground area containing artifacts from the September 11th attacks.

January 5 - January 11
Rebuilding in 2004
Reflecting Absence has been chosen as the Ground Zero memorial, the freedom Tower is slated to be under construction by mid-year , and a new transportation hub is scheduled to be presented this spring. A look at the eventful year ahead for rebuilding.

Reflecting Absence
Reflecting Absence, a minimalist design featuring two sunken pools on the footprints of the Twin Towers, has been chosen as the memorial for Ground Zero.

December 29 - January 4
Top Rebuilding Stories of 2003
In the past year, a plan for Ground Zero and a design for the Freedom Tower have been released, eight finalists have been selected in the memorial competition, and services, including a PATH train station at Ground Zero, have returned to Lower Manhattan. Read about the top rebuilding stories of 2003.

December 19 - December 28
The Freedom Tower
Released on December 19, the 1,776 foot tall Freedom Tower is the result of a fiery collaboration between two architects. It is said to have features that echo both the Statute of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. See the design.

A Good Work In Progress
Mark Ginsberg, the president of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, writes that while the Freedom Tower is a well thought out design with some exciting features, there are still issues that must be resolved for it be a success.

Stick With Libeskind
The design for the Freedom Tower brings David Childs' building more into line with Daniel Libeskind's vision, writes Beverly Willis, the co-chair of Rebuild Downtown Our Town. But it does not completely fulfill the necessary task of keeping to the Libeskind vision, and therefore poses a potential threat to the success of Ground Zero as a whole.

December 15 - 22
Towards the People's Memorial:
Imagine New York played host to a series of six public workshops in the week after the finalists in the memorial design competition were released. Over 300 people participated, and 2,800 more submitted comments on the memorial designs online. From this feedback, Imagine New York compiled a fifteen-page report, and submitted it to the jury to aid its members in making a decision. Read the report here (in pdf format).

My Memorial
Mike Kuo, the head of Imagine New York, writes about his group's report -- and how working on it affected him personally.

December 5 - December 14
Transcript of Live Chat
Gotham Gazette held an online memorial chat with architectural experts Rick Bell and Fred Bernstein. Read a transcript here.

December 1 - December 5
Response by New York New Visions
"None of the memorial designs have achieved the level of artistic significance expected, nor have they, as yet, successfully addressed the complex challenge of integrating with the Libeskind site plan or the surrounding neighborhood context," New York New Visions writes to the memorial jury.(Read the entire letter).

November 21 - December 1
The Eight 9/11 Memorial Designs
Most incorporate water, all use light, and together they are evoking strong reaction. A look at details of the designs, the criticism, the process of choosing them, and what is likely to happen now.

October 11 - October 24
New Study of Rebuilding Funds
A new study (in pdf format) by the federal General Accounting office found that the city may never be able to determine how much of the $5 billion in Liberty Bond tax benefits, given as part of President George Bush's 9/11 aid to New York City, are ever used.

September 29 - October 10
A National Theater Downtown
Martha Hostetter on the efforts to create a new American National Theater at Ground Zero.

September 21 - September 28
The Revised Plan
Rebuilding officials have released a revised master plan for the World Trade Center site. A look at the changes, from slimmer towers to a new park.

September 13 - September 20
The 9/11 Health Registry
Sue Wilson on the new comprehensive survey to follow the health of those people most directly exposed to 9/11's World Trade Center collapse and the subsequent clean-up efforts.

The EPA Report
Sam Williams on the alarming report about the EPA's response to 9/11.

September 8 - September 12
9/11/03
New Yorkers are commemorating the second anniversary of September 11 this week, with a ceremony inside Ground Zero's huge construction site. But while the city pauses to look back, plans for lower Manhattan's future are moving forward. A look at where we are, issue by issue.

September 1 - September 7
The Inspector General's Report
In a new report, the Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General found that the White House influenced the agency to tell New Yorkers that the air was safe after the September 11 attacks, even before the agency had fully monitored the air quality near the World Trade Center site. Read the full report (in pdf format).

Featured Links: The Port Authority's 9/11 Transcripts
The Port Authority has released 2,000 pages of documents from September 11 previously unseen by the public, largely transcripts of radio transmissions from people at the World Trade Center during the attacks. Newsday has collected a selection of excerpts from the transcripts, and the New York Times created an interactive feature.

August 25 - August 31
Lincoln Center's Lessons for Ground Zero
At the same time that Lincoln Center is "breaking up," there are plans to include a cultural center at Ground Zero. Martha Hostetter offers a list of mistakes made by Lincoln Center that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation can avoid.

August 18 - August 24
Commemorating 9/11
The second anniversary of September 11 will be commemorated by the return of the twin beams of the "Tribute in Light," and a ceremony at Ground Zero. Read a schedule of the city's commemoration plans.

August 2 - August 17
The Pentagon Memorial's Lessons for New York
By the time New York City's September 11 memorial jury narrows the Ground Zero memorial competition down to five finalists, the Pentagon will have already broken ground on its memorial - selected way back in March - for the 184 victims who died there on 9/11. What can New York learn from the other 9/11 memorial?

July 24 - August 1
The Congressional Report on 9/11
Read the report on 9/11, which found that the FBI and CIA failed to exchange important information about the hijackers before the attacks.

July 12 - July 24
A Resident's Hopes for the Memorial
As the 9/11 memorial jury prepares to sort through design applications, lower Manhattan resident Tim Lannan writes that he wants the chosen memorial to convey the special sense of community he felt downtown after the attacks.

June 27 - July 11
Competing to Design the 9/11 Memorial
Designers competing in the international 9/11 memorial competition were given until June 30 to figure out how to best memorialize September 11 and interpret the competition's guidelines, even as those closest to the tragedy disagreed on the details and concepts for the memorial.

June 16 - June 26
Perspectives on the Memorial
Anthony Gardner, whose brother Harvey Joseph Gardner III was killed on 9/11, argues that a bus garage and commercial stores do not have a place in the sacred space where most of the remains of those murdered on September 11 were found.

June 9 - June 15
Perspectives on the Memorial
In the first in a series of essays about the 9/11 memorial, retired firefighter John Finucane says that whatever design is chosen should list the names of the rescue workers together, with their name, rank, serial number and company.

June 2 - June 8
The Memorial Hearing
At last week's hearing about the 9/11 memorial, Chris Ganci, whose father, Fire Department Chief Pete Ganci, died on September 11, urged the jury to chose a design that shows that rescue workers "willingly gave their lives to help other people." Julie Boryczewski said that the design should show what happened on 9/11 "honestly and equally." Read transcripts of their testimonies, and others, from the hearing.

May 26 - June 1
Preserve Downtown's Historic Buildings
Roger Lang on why it is important to preserve historic buildings downtown, especially the 1889 Corbin building now slated for demolition by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

May 19 - May 25
Imagining Downtown Transportation
At last week's Imagine New York workshop about lower Manhattan transportation projects, over 100 people broke into small groups and weighed in on downtown's transportation future. Some argued that making a section of West Street an underground tunnel is absolutely necessary, while others said it would be an enormous waste of money. Some praised a one-seat ride to the airport, while others said that the city should build projects for residents, not for tourists.

May 12 - May 18
Transportation And Lower Manhattan: Where Do We Go From Here?
In 2015, if all goes as planned, people will be able to move easily to and from lower Manhattan by commuter trains and subways, and even take a one-seat ride to the airport. This vision of the future contrasts sharply with the realities of transportation in lower Manhattan today. Jeffrey Zupan explains what is planned and the decisions that must be made.

May 5 - May 11
Tribeca Film Festival
The second annual Tribeca Film Festival, started to boost a neighborhood damaged by September 11, is taking place this week. Nine different festival movies - features, documentaries and shorts - are about rebuilding New York. Some are funny, some are poignant, and others can only be called wacky.

April 22 - May 4
The Governor's Timeline
On April 24, Governor George Pataki announced what he called a "bold, daring and swift" schedule for rebuilding lower Manhattan and new transportation projects downtown. A look at what Pataki has planned for lower Manhattan, year by year.

April 14 - April 21
The Memorial Jury
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has selected the jury that will select a design for the 9/11 memorial. A look at the 13 jury members, and a timeline for the competition.

April 7 - April 13
The 9/11 Commission
Gotham Gazette columnist Julia Vitullo-Martin considers the public hearings on the 9/11 terrorism attacks, finally taking place 19 months after the fact; the case of the 9/11 killer; and the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's prescient comments on the pathology of government secrecy.

Also: A transcript of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's testimony before the commission.

March 31 - April 6
Rebuilding Jobs
Featured Report: The Labor Community Advocacy Network to Rebuild New York's new report (in pdf format) proposes that $1 billion in federal rebuilding funds be used for a jobs program putting 60,000 New Yorkers to work. This New Deal-like program would subsidize government and non-profit jobs, as well as jobs at companies affected by September 11.

March 24 - March 30
Security in NYC
As the United States invasion of Iraq intensifies, New Yorkers are faced with competing concerns. In Operation Atlas and the Security of New York, Julia Vitullo-Martin details the city's vulnerability to attack, and analyzes the efforts to defend it. (Also, in An Assessment Of The Threat From Al Qaeda, terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna summarizes the debriefing he gave to the New York Police Department.) In Special Registration, Chaleampon Ritthichai focuses on one security measure that critics say has gone too far.

LMDC President on What's Next
The new president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Kevin Rampe, delivered a speech about the next steps for the World Trade Center site at a Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association Forum on March 20. Read a transcript of his remarks.

March 17 - March 23
Report from Rebuilding Delegation to Europe
A delegation of rebuilding civic groups, victims' family members and planners traveled to Europe in order to learn from rebuilding projects and memorials in cities like Berlin, where they visited World Trade Center architect Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum, and Barcelona. A report of their findings (pdf format).

March 10 - March 16
What's Next For Civic Groups
The many civic groups that have formed after September 11 say that even though a major part of the rebuilding process has come to a close with the choice of Daniel Libeskind's design for Ground Zero, they are not going away any time soon. Civic groups like Rebuild Downtown Our Town and the Labor Community Advocacy Network will be fighting to protect the design that Libeskind envisions, influence its details, and to capture unspent federal rebuilding aid for causes like jobs and affordable housing.

February 24 - March 9
The Winning Plan
The design by architect Daniel Libeskind featuring a 1,776-foot spire and an open pit where the twin towers once stood was chosen Wednesday night as the final plan for the World Trade Center site. The plan also features a museum at the site and structures that will create memorial spaces free of shadows each September 11. The single spire will be the tallest structure in the world.

February 17 - February 23
Transcript of Chat With Daniel Libeskind
Read a transcript of our recent online chat with World Trade Center site design finalist Daniel Libeskind, who compares his competitors' plan to "two skeletons in the sky" and says that his plan is estimated at between $200 and 320 million, the "bargain basement of all the schemes in the competition."

Chat With Tara Snow
Read a transcript of our recent online chat with Tara Snow, who coordinates public and government participation for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

February 10 - February 16
Living in Limbo
Some immigrant families who lost loved ones on September 11th are faced with the extra burden of worrying about being deported. State and federal officials are trying to present themselves as allies to these New Yorkers.

February 3 - February 9
Ground Zero Finalists
On February 4, rebuilding officials named two finalists to design the World Trade Center site. The selection committee chose architect Daniel Libeskind, whose design exposes the Twin Towers original foundations and leaves the hole at Ground Zero for a memorial, and the THINK team of architects Rafael Vinoly, Shigeru Ban, Ken Smith and Frederic Schwartz. Their World Cultural Center plan includes two open steel latticework towers with a museum, an amphitheater and other cultural spaces at different heights.

9/11 Money Troubles
As authorities draw closer to deciding on a final design for Ground Zero, some wonder whether there is money to make any of the lofty plans a reality. Despite federal aid, the money problems 9/11 created continue to multiply. Families of victims say the federal funds set aside to compensate them are being distributed unfairly. Downtown businesses say they have not received the help they need. Politicians fight over the rebuilding funds. Can the city untangle the confusion and get the money it needs?

Transcript of Chat With Steven Holl
Read a transcript of our online chat with architect Steven Holl, who created the "Memorial Square" design for Ground Zero. "I believe that this process was not run with the sophistication that for example a European architectural competition would be run," Holl said. "Respected architects should have been among the final decision makers."

January 27 - February 2
Transcript of Chat With Rafael Vinoly
Read a transcript of our online chat with architect Rafael Vinoly, a member of the Think team, which designed three new plans for Ground Zero. Vinoly said that he believes one of the new nine visions he and other architects have created will eventually be built, "even though they may have to evolve over time and as a result of the necessary public dialogue that has to take place."

January 20 - January 26
Public Hearings for Ground Zero
At last week's public hearings on Ground Zero, Bill McLoughlin called for a separate memorial space for rescue workers. John Dellaportas urged the agency in charge to rule out a wide promenade along West Street, and Sally Regenhard said that the city of New York, not the Port Authority, should have control over the World Trade Center site. Michael Kuo and Paul Epstein used their three minutes to ask for a better public discussion, saying that these types of hearings, where whoever shows up gets to give a short speech while everyone else listens, don't make sense. Read transcripts of what these five people - and many others - had to say about rebuilding downtown.

January 13 - January 19
Transcript of Live Chat with Barbara Littenberg
Read a transcript of our live chat with architect Barbara Littenberg of Peterson/Littenberg, which created one of the designs for the World Trade Center site and also produced the urban design concepts of the mayor's plan for lower Manhattan.

January 6 - January 12
Chinatown's Slowdown
Park Row is the only major road that remains closed after September 11th. Police say that a terrorist threat makes it necessary, but Chinatown's residents and business owners say that it's the closure itself that is threatening them.

Chat With Robert Yaro
Read a transcript of our live chat with Robert Yaro, Head of the Civic Alliance To Rebuild Downtown New York. He talked about public participation in the rebuilding and what he thinks of the nine plans.

December 21 - January 5
Chat With Rick Bell
The day after architects unveiled nine new plans for Ground Zero, Gotham Gazette held an online chat with Rick Bell, Executive Director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He presented an overview of each of the nine plans and answered questions about public participation in the rebuilding, how the new plans would be funded and what criteria people should use to judge the plans. Find out what he had to say.

December 14 - December 20
Nine Plans
The nine new plans for Ground Zero include four that feature what would be the tallest buildings in the world, and two that create 16 acres of roof-top parks. Read an overview of the nine plans commissioned by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, including links to details on each design.

The New Plans for Lower Manhattan
Last week, the mayor outlined his vision for lower Manhattan, an ambitious plan that includes the creation of two new neighborhoods, a network of large parks and leafy boulevards and a one-seat ride to the airport. This week, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation unveils nine new plans for Ground Zero, which it vows this time around are "inspiring." The Port Authority is developing its own plan for the World Trade Center site. And the Civic Alliance, in something of a protest against the lack of public input in these other plans, is holding workshops this week to come up with their own designs. Will all these proposals fit together to form a master plan by the new official deadline -- January 31? Will the public have a real say in what gets built? Who will make the final decision about the future of lower Manhattan?

December 9 - December 13
The Mayor's New Plan
On Thursday December 12, Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a speech to the Association for a Better New York (ABNY) at the Regent Wall Street Hotel at 55 Wall Street. The speech outlined an ambitious plan to rebuild lower Manhattan. Read a full transcript of his remarks.

Transcript of Live Chat About 9/11 Health Concerns
On Thursday, December 12 Gotham Gazette hosted a live chat with Dr. Jack Caravanos from Hunter College and Dr. Lung Chi Chen of the New York University School of Medicine. Read what they had to say about "World Trade Center cough," the potential environmental impact of rebuilding at Ground Zero, and concerns about air quality for students attending school downtown.

Rebuilding Delegation to Europe
52 New Yorkers -- both architects and planners, victim's family members and activists -- traveled on a delegation to visit Europe's reconstruction projects, development plans and memorials with New York in mind. A look at their findings.

November 16 - November 22
Will Two Big Projects Be Too Much?
Some worry that efforts to rebuild the World Trade Center site and lower Manhattan will be overshadowed by the city's bid for the 2012 Olympics. Development corporation official Roland Betts, Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff and many others are involved in both projects. Will two such huge projects stretch the city's resources too thin?

November 11 - November 15
NYC Memorials
In creating the over 2,000 monuments and sculptures in the city's public spaces, New Yorkers have long grappled with how to commemorate heroes or tragic events, and often came to very different conclusions. A new walking tour plans to visit some of the best. A look at some of the tour stops and other New York City memorials .

November 4 - November 10
Biotech: A Boon for Lower Manhattan?
A new plan to create a biotechnology hub in lower Manhattan aims to create 1,300 jobs and fill 300,000 square feet of office space vacated after the September 11 attacks. A look at the debate, the obstacles, and the details involved in bringing biotech downtown.

October 28 - November 3
Save West Street
"Downtown can be great again, without all the digging," argues Battery Park City resident John Dellaportas, who created a coalition opposing the plan to turn West Street into a tunnel. Dellaportas explains why transportation advocates, environmentalists, parents of schoolchildren and Battery Park City residents have come out against the tunnel plan.

October 19 - October 27
Five Ways to Help Small Businesses Still Struggling After 9/11
As of August, the grant program to keep and bring small businesses in lower Manhattan had only distributed about eight percent of the millions of dollars available. Ariel Goodman, whose small business was destroyed in the World Trade Center attack, gives five ways to improve this and other programs for business owners still struggling after 9/11.

October 13 - October 18
New Rules For Designing Ground Zero
The design teams chosen to create new plans for the World Trade Center site met for the first time near Ground Zero last week. In a day-long orientation program, rebuilding officials gave the architects and designers a new list of requirements to be included in the plans. See a slideshow explaining the new rules, with maps.

October 6 - October 12
Housing Downtown
A debate is growing about what kind of housing should be built downtown. Washington gave the city $1.6 billion in bonds to spend on housing in lower Manhattan, and many say the aid should be used to counter New York City's affordable housing shortage. Gov. Pataki and others say requiring a significant percentage of apartments be set aside for low and middle income New Yorkers may mean nothing gets built.

Transcript of Live Chat About Housing
Read a transcript of our live chat with Ron Shiffman of the Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development and Frank Braconi, executive director of the non-profit research organization Citizens Housing and Planning Council.

September 30 - October 5
The Six Teams
Many of the architects, artists and designers selected last week by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to create new plans for downtown are known for creating celebrated buildings around the world, such as the new glass domed Reichstag parliament in Berlin and the stark white High Museum building in Atlanta. See a slide show about the six chosen teams, with photos of their past work.

Transcript of Online Debate About Economic Rebuilding After 9/11
Read the transcript of the online discussion featuring Bettina Damiani of Good Jobs New York and Steve Malanga of the City Journal, where they talked about how federal funds should be spent for rebuilding downtown, whether or not there should be housing at Ground Zero, and other issues of economic rebuilding.

Street Name Tributes For Firefighters
The city plans to rename 81 streets in honor of firefighters, police officers and civilians who died on 9/11. A list of the new streets.

September 23 - September 29
The Fire Department's Lessons From 9/11
On September 11, 2001 the New York Fire Department was hampered by organizational and equipment failures, according to a report by McKinsey. A major point of the study was that the fire department's radios and other communications equipment did not work reliably. Last week commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta told the City Council that it may take several years to fix the problem.

Monica Gabrielle of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, whose husband Rich died in the attacks, asks why the city has yet to address some of the simple lessons learned that day. Retired deputy fire chief Vincent Dunn details 12 ways he believes firefighters could do their job more safely and effectively.

September 16 - September 22
Transcript of Live Chat With Psychologists
In a live chat on the anniversary of the attacks, psychologists involved in September 11 crisis counseling talked about how New Yorkers can regain feelings of safety and security, the debate over the different types of therapy being used to treat 9/11 trauma, and more. Read a transcript.

September 9 - September 15
A Year Of Changes
More than a dozen articles -- covering topics from civil rights to housing to land use -- explore the tangible ways New York City has changed in the last year.

The Culture of 9/11
This week New York City commemorated the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in what has been called the "largest collective ceremony of remembrance in American history." Gotham Gazette offers a look at how the capital of media, art, and culture has been affected by, and shaped the understanding of, the events of 9/11.

Also, check out our lists of cultural works and exhibitions that were created in response to September 11.

• Books
  
• Film Documentaries
  
• Museum Exhibitions
  
• Songs
  
• Television
  
• Theater
  
• Visual and Performance Art
  

September 2 - September 8
September 11 In Television
September 11 was a television event for most of the world and even many New Yorkers. A look at how television has changed since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, highlights of anniversary coverage by channel and an hour-by-hour TV schedule for September 11, 2002. For more on how September 11 has influenced art and culture, see our lists of books, theatrical productions, songs and film and video documentaries. A look at arts and museum exhibitions coming soon.

9/11 Anniversary
Find out about events and other information connected to the one-year anniversary of September 11, 2001-- including an hour-by-hour list of events on the day itself -- in our Anniversary section. (These lists will grow with your help: tell us about events you know about.)

August 26 - September 1
9/11 in Arts and Culture
Our focus on September 11 in art and culture begins with a look at September 11 songs and documentaries.

August 19 - August 25
Looking At Memorials
Anita Contini, who began her job as the person in charge of the memorial at Ground Zero this month, has a trip planned to help her figure out what her next steps should be. Her visits to the Oklahoma City memorial, the Vietnam memorial, a memorial to the victims of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan and others may have important lessons for Ground Zero.

Transcript of Live Chat with Anita Contini
Read a transcript of our live online chat with Anita Contini, director of memorial, cultural and civic programs for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Find out what she said during our conversation as Contini fielded questions about the process of creating the memorial.

August 12 - August 18
What's the Formula for Prosperity?
The latest Bloomberg administration idea to attract jobs and investment to New York City is a land swap that would give up two city airports in exchange for city control of the World Trade Center site. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Daniel Doctoroff are also jockeying to play host to the Olympics and build a new stadium on the West Side. A look at the pros and cons of these and other Bloomberg administration moves to restore New York's economy.

August 5 - August 11
Rebuild The Towers vs. All Memorial
Preliminary results from Gotham Gazette's Ground Zero Planner show that over half the entries call for rebuilding the towers as they were, while a fifth insist all 16 acres should be a memorial. Also: what the experts make of these passionately-held, mutually exclusive views, and whether a real consensus can be reached.

July 29 - August 4
Talking About the Six Plans in Many Languages
How are people in New York's immigrant communities reacting to the six plans released this month by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation? Find out how Chinese and Spanish language papers, which serve two of the communities most affected by the attacks, covered the story.

July 22 - July 28
Rethinking The Six Plans
After the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation released six different designs for rebuilding the World Trade Center site, 5,000 citizens responded at a town hall meeting. This week find out why the public responded negatively to the plans and what issues the officials in charge of rebuilding must resolve to come up with a plan satisfactory for the people.

Transcript of Chat with Lou Tomson
Read a transcript of Wednesday's live online chat with Lou Tomson, president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Find out what he said during our conversation as Tomson fielded questions about the six plans for the World Trade Center site.

July 15 - July 21
Is It Too Late to Listen to the City?
Find out how rumors about the six plans affected New Yorkers preparing for the biggest public meeting on rebuilding to date and the opening of a major exhibit of ideas for downtown.

Transcript of Chat with Madelyn Wils
Gotham Gazette held a live chat with Madelyn Wils, head of Community Board 1 and member of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, on Tuesday July 16. Read a transcript of our chat with her, and find out what she had to say about the plans released by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and what the priorities are for downtown residents.

July 5 - July 14
Three Alternative Views
Officials talk of an emerging consensus about what to rebuild downtown, but there are strong voices arguing for a different approach in many specific aspects of the reconstruction. Peter Marcuse, a planning professor at Columbia University, argues that improving transportation downtown should not be our first priority. Sharon Zukin, co-editor of After the World Trade Center: Rethinking New York City, examines the residential neighborhood that has developed in lower Manhattan over the past few decades and argues that the area is now ripe for cultural, not financial, businesses and institutions. Rick Bell, director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, talks about the reasons New York New Visions and other civic groups have supported building "green" at the World Trade Center site.

June 29 - July 4
Monica's Mission
September's Mission founder Monica Iken describes her ideas for a memorial downtown. She urges planners to make sure that everything built on the site reflects what happened on Sept. 11, saying, "the final resting place of our lost souls is not confined to the footprints of the towers."

June 24 - June 28
Mapping Ground Zero
Take a look at Gotham Gazette's collection of maps of Lower Manhattan, ranging from a map used by recovery workers to determine where Ground Zero fires needed to be extinguished, different diagrams of how a memorial might fit into the site's development, and a map that shows which businesses affected by Sept. 11 may qualify for aid.

June 17 - June 23
Nine Months Later, Top Rebuilding Players Look Ahead
On June 11, many of the lead decision makers in the rebuilding process talked about their plans for the World Trade Center site at the "Turning 9/11 Around" symposium downtown. Gotham Gazette takes a look at their ideas, including the Port Authority's designs for a viewing platform at Ground Zero during construction, and presents an edited transcript of the panel's answers to the audience's questions.

June 10 - June 16
A Conversation With Alex Garvin
Gotham Gazette's Rebuilding NYC had its first live online chat on Tuesday, June 11, as Alex Garvin, lead planner for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, answered questions about rebuilding downtown. Read the transcript from our conversation and find out what Garvin thinks rebuilding after September 11 resembles most in history. Also, read a profile of the Yale University planning professor and lifelong New Yorker who now wields considerable influence over what will be built at the World Trade Center site.

Consensus or Competing Visions?
Three articles explore the ideas of consensus and competing visions for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site. In "Working In Coalition," Mike Kuo sums up the recent reports by five major volunteer rebuilding coalitions and finds their visions remarkably similar. In "Competing Visions" Laura Wolf-Powers supplies her own analysis of the recent coalition reports, emphasizing the ways that they differ. And in "Rebuilding by Consensus?" Mark Berkey-Gerard looks at the emerging differences of opinion among New Yorkers in general, and points out that many feel the basic questions -- about who makes the decisions, what should be built, and even what "rebuilding" means -- have yet to be answered.

June 3 - June 9
The Firm Of "Blah, Blah and Blah?"
This week, Gotham Gazette's Rebuilding NYC presents a profile of Beyer Blinder Belle, the urban planning and design firm selected by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The firm is best known for renovating Grand Central Station during the 1990's. Will they be able to bring creativity and vision to their efforts to create a plan for the World Trade Center site?

May 24 - June 2
The First Public Hearing
"Given that this is the first public hearing, it is disappointing...that so many decisions have already been made," said Margaret Hughes, one of the dozens of speakers at the first public hearing about rebuilding downtown held by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Port Authority. Among those who testified were family members of victims, residents of downtown neighborhoods, architects, advocates, officials and the civic-minded. Edited transcripts of testimony about health concerns, the memorial, suggested designs, the reasons why some feel betrayed.

May 10 - May 23
Artists Talk About September 11
Five New Yorkers in the arts discussed life after September 11 in a panel that was part of the Tribeca Film Festival. Moderated by talk show host Jon Stewart, painter Karen Batten, performance artist Spalding Gray, actress Susan Sarandon, and playwright Wendy Wasserstein talked about their personal reactions to the events of September 11th and how it has affected their work as artists.

Air Quality At Ground Zero
Eric Goldstein, Gotham Gazette's Environment columnist, takes a look at the Environmental Protection Agency's reversal of policy this week concerning indoor cleaning and testing for air quality. Is it too little, too late? Or a triumph for New Yorkers?

May 6 - May 9
Culture and the World Trade Center Site
Gotham Gazette's Arts columnist Martha Hostetter writes about ideas to make arts and culture a part of the new Lower Manhattan. Will cultural institutions be able to provide the initial shot of financial strength the area so desperately needs?

April 31 - May 5
The Importance of Transportation
Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall talks about the need for transportation in the future of rebuilding downtown. Also, see our page focusing on rebuilding infrastructure and transportation for more news and commentary.

April 24 - April 30
Labor Community Advocacy Network (LCAN) Rebuilding Statement
Few of the reports with recommendations for rebuilding Lower Manhattan have touched on the economic steps that need to be taken to revitalize the city, particularly for lower-wage workers and those left unemployed after September 11. This week, the Labor Community Advocacy Network tries to address these issues in their policy statement about rebuilding.
Download their report (PDF format)

April 15 - April 23
Principles For Development and Blueprint For Renewal
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation unveiled its set of principles to guide development of the World Trade Center site and a blueprint for renewal with a number of initial proposals. Take a look at the principles and the blueprint (PDF format).

April 8 - April 14
John Whitehead On The Present And Future Of Downtown
The Chair of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, John Whitehead, presents an update on the status of the recovery of Lower Manhattan and lays out his organization's plans for what will be done to rebuild downtown.

April 1 - April 7
Listening To The City: A Report
How do everyday New Yorkers envision the rebuilding of the city? Last week we showed you how Imagine New York is trying to find out with look at their first workshop. This week, a new report from the Civic Alliance (PDF format) shows how that coalition of civic groups tried to pinpoint some answers to that question at their "Listening To The City" event in February.

March 25 - March 31
Bringing Democracy To Rebuilding
While the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation is in charge of rebuilding downtown, one voice that has not been heard as much is that of the public. James Wong writes about how a project called Imagine New York is trying to get everyday New Yorkers to discuss their thoughts on rebuilding. Meanwhile, Nancy Biberman writes about the need for democracy and public input as the city begins to rebuild.

March 18 - March 24
The Psychological Impact
Mental and emotional stress from September 11 is still a major issue for many New Yorkers. In our new section about the psychological impact you can find news and information about how New Yorkers are dealing with the stress even today and how they can find help.

March 11 - March 17
Six Months Later
The city has made an amazing recovery in the six months since the terrorist attacks. Ground Zero will soon be cleared of rubble. Subways, schools, and businesses have reopened. And two temporary memorials will be unveiled this week. But as New York moves to the next phase of rebuilding there are many unanswered questions about what to build, who is in charge, and how it will be funded. Gotham Gazette takes a look at the status of recovery and rebuilding, how far we have come and where we are headed.

March 4 - March 10
Charities: Relief and Controversy
This week, the March 8 deadline approaches for those left unemployed by September 11 to apply for relief through some of the largest charities. Gotham Gazette brings you information about getting assistance and aid before the deadline, as well as how to donate your money or your time to helping those still in need. Our new Charities topic area also provides news about charities, including the recent flap over former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the Twin Towers Fund.

February 25 - March 3
Rebuild Downtown Our Town White Paper
Rebuild Downtown Our Town (R.Dot), a coalition of downtown residents involved in the rebuilding process, released its first white paper Tuesday on recommendations for rebuilding Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center site.

Archiving 9/11
Archeological artifacts, one-of-a-kind photographs of John F. Kennedy, original manuscripts by Helen Keller, and of course, millions of documents from businesses were lost when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed. In the months since the attack, historians and archivists have struggled to assess what has been lost. And now they face the task of sorting through the enormous amount of information documenting September 11.

February 15 - February 24
Profile of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
Good Jobs New York has produced the first comprehensive person-by- person profile of the eleven members of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Find out who on the commission is a film financier; a community activist; the "ultimate power broker;" and a one-time dinner guest of a Taliban leader. (The report is in PDF format)

February 8 - February 14
Working Towards Recovery
Last week we featured the different coalitions working towards rebuilding the city. This week, former City Council candidate David Reiss and former assistant district attorney Matthew Kleiner lay out a four-part plan for how these different groups can work together for New York City's recovery and rebuilding.

February 1 - February 7
Coalitions For Rebuilding
Several groups have formed to come up with visions for a new downtown. These groups range from architects and designers to local residents and business leaders. Find out more about these coalitions for rebuilding with our summary of the largest coalitions.

January 25 - January 31
The "New" New York City Skyline
It took seven years to construct the tallest buildings in New York City. They were destroyed in a single day. Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the New Yorker magazine, describes how this sudden change to the skyline has affected us all and suggests what should be built to heal the skyline.

Getting Back On Track (01/07/02)
Jeffrey Zupan, senior fellow for transportation at Regional Plan Association, says that transportation is key to any rebuilding effort, and the many new (or renewed) proposals will make travel easier and better than before the terrorist attack.

Eight Steps Toward Rebuilding Downtown (12/31/01)
Carl Weisbrod, the president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, answers Dick Netzer's argument in Gotham Gazette that we should rebuild "Fast, Not Fancy - And in Midtown, Not Downtown." Such a suggestion, Weisbrod writes, is "an insult to the thousands of people who are working around the clock to stabilize the area." Downtown must be rebuilt, he says, and he offers eight ways to do it right.

Living Near Ground Zero (12/10/01)
The only member of the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corporation who actually lives in Lower Manhattan, Madelyn Wils, blasts the city for its inaction in helping the residents living near Ground Zero. Etta Sanders asks the people living downtown what it has been like in the past three months. Ann Farmer looks at the tenants who are still not permitted back into their building near the World Trade Center site, a building with the horribly appropriate name of Post Towers.

What Albany Must Do (12/10/01)
If downtown Manhattan is to thrive once more, the city and state have to work together, writes State Comptroller Carl McCall. But instead, he charges, Albany is undermining redevelopment efforts. The candidate for governor offers his plan for what state and city officials must do if we are to restore the financial district and move forward.

The Make-Up Of The Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corporation (12/10/01)
A look at the new 11-member Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corporation -- "top-heavy," says Tom Angotti, "with business executives and City Hall insiders," and virtually void of people who live and work in the area -- or of the various victims of 9/11.

Awards and Alarms: (12/3/01)
America loves nobody more these days than a New York City firefighter. But the cheers at sports stadiums, the free trips and the bouquets cannot erase the difficulties confronting the department, writes David Schwartz and Christopher Stewart. The problems in some ways have just gotten worse. Many firefighters ache from the loss of so many "brothers" on September 11. Leaders with expertise and decades of experience lost their lives, and a nasty rift separates the commissioner from the rank and file. Meanwhile, as Jane Latour writes, the department remains overwhelmingly white and male, with fewer blacks than it had 36 years ago.
Also: What does it take to be a NYC firefighter? Find out the requirements in 2001 -- and 1887.

Dying On The Job (11/26/01)
Immigrant construction workers face dangerous working conditions.

Two Views on How to Rebuild (11/26/01)
1. Make it fast, not fancy, Dick Netzer says, and in midtown, not downtown.

2. We must pause and reflect, says Nancy Biberman, before trying to build anything on the hallowed ground.

A Rocky Season (11/19/01)
This is may be the season for giving thanks, and for giving, but it is "A Rocky Season" for New York's nonprofit agencies, as Linda Ostreicher explains.

911 For Charities (11/19/01)
Despite the generosity of the country, many nonprofit agencies are "Down and Out," -- reeling from the aftermath of 9/11, according to Dr. Megan McLaughlin, director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. The resources of many agencies are being strained by the increasing need for services by the various victims. At the same time, the agencies' normal contributions are being diverted -- to newly created 9/11 charities.

Not Always As Sweet (10/29/01)
Debbie Almontaser is an Arab-American who wears the hjiab or head-covering of a devout Muslim. She is also a schoolteacher and a mother whose son is a soldier standing guard at Ground Zero. Above all, she is a New Yorker.
Also: A brief look at the history of Arabs in New York City

Danger In The Air? (10/22/01)
1. The Anthrax Scare
Does anthrax pose a serious threat, or will the panic over a few cases be what threatens an already overburdened and under funded public health system? A much greater risk than anthrax, Maia Szalavitz argues, may be panicking over bioterror and trying 'quick fix' solutions that won't ultimately protect people from either terrorists or natural diseases.
2. The Environment Near Ground Zero
The hundreds of government scientists who have been testing the air in lower Manhattan have reported that there is little to worry about. Yet in the last two weeks it has become increasingly apparent, Michael Burger charges, that the scientists are not looking for precisely the right thing -- or, if they are, they are not releasing that information to the public.

Two Views Of The Twin Towers (10/15/01)
As New Yorkers debate whether to replicate the World Trade Center, few have asked why the complex was built in the first place. Was it both the symbol and reality of global finance, as economist Rosemary Scanlon argues? Or was it just an elaborate scheme to bail out mid-century downtown business interests, as Robert Fitch maintains?

Fund City (10/08/01)
The month after the attack on the World Trade Center saw the largest outpouring of charity in history. But the many millions of dollars donated by the many millions of people throughout the nation and the world have already had some unintended consequences. There is growing concern about fraud and improper use of funds. There is a question as to who will oversee all of this money. And some say other charitable causes and nonprofits may suffer because so many have given so much to this one disaster.

What We Will Do (10/08/01)
We asked the candidates who will be in the Democratic runoff this Thursday, October 11th, for their plans on rebuilding the city. Betsy Gotbaum and Norman Siegel, facing each other for the Democratic nomination for public advocate, both address what their role in the rebuilding should be. Fernando Ferrer and Mark Green, facing each other in the runoff for mayor write follow-up essays to those they wrote earlier, which offer more specific details about their plans.

What You Should Do (10/08/01)
Rebuilding New York City includes restoring New Yorkers' psyches. Maia Szalavitz talks to one of the world's leading, and most opinionated, experts on post-traumatic stress disorder.

A History Of Crisis And Recovery (10/01/01)
In the very first week after the attack, the mayor looked to history for comfort and instruction in how New Yorkers could respond. The historical event he focused on was the blitz of London during World War II. But, as New Yorkers can discover in hundreds of history-related events starting this week, there is comfort and instruction as well in the long series of crises and recoveries that make up the history of New York City.

Rebuilding NYC (9/20/01)
The mayor and the speaker of the City Council have announced plans to form a special commission for rebuilding lower Manhattan. They are talking about creating a new Marshall Plan, which rebuilt Europe after World War II, for New York City. But what will the city look like? What should it look like? Three opinionated New Yorkers, two of them professors of urban planning, give their views, in the first of what will become a continuing series.

The Lessons To Be Learned (9/17/01)
We have had to explain to our children things that are incomprehensible to us, writes Teachers College President Arthur Levine.

A Question Of Recovery: (9/14/01)
While the city is mourning the loss of human life, of our sense of security, and of a piece of our skyline, small signs of recovery are beginning to show. Most schools have reopened, businesses are cleaning the dust from their window, and many subway lines are running. "We're going to come out of this stronger than we were before," Mayor Giuliani has vowed. "Emotionally stronger, politically stronger, economically stronger." But even to the city's greatest boosters, it is painfully clear that the challenges ahead are staggering, the questions overwhelming. A first glimpse of what may lie ahead.

The Fight Against Terrorism In New York: (9/12/01)
If there is any room for irony at the moment, there are two supreme examples. Two years ago, the mayor created an emergency management command center whose walls could withstand 200 miles-per-hour winds, and whose ventilation system was designed to blow out chemicals or germs in case of a germ warfare terrorist attack. The center was in the World Trade Center. It went down, along with everything else. Just weeks ago, a mayoral commission decided to put on the November ballot a proposal connected to the Office of Emergency Management. A look at the city's history of dealing with emergencies, especially terrorist attacks.

The Twin Towers Attack: The First Hours (9/11/01)