The group charged with defining and implementing a plan for the World Trade Center site has developed a preliminary proposal that calls for significant changes for the area, including a memorial park, mixed-use development, and a transit hub connecting subway, commuter rail, and ferry lines.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation released the blueprint April 9 after months of emotionally charged discussions and public meetings.

In addition, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg appointed four members to the board of the LMDC, including Billie Tsien, AIA, principal of Tod Williams Billie Tsien and Associates, New York City. She is the only architect, only Asian American, and one of four women currently appointed to the 16-member board.

Tsien, who recently attended her first LMDC Board orientation, said she finds the task ahead of her "really daunting," but added that "everyone there has a great deal of hope."

As the sole architect on the rebuilding panel, Tsien anticipates that she can "provide support and perhaps some sense of direction toward making buildings that are compromises." She said she will approach this venture as she has done with her practice, to strive for excellence and a "desire for wonderful architecture," so that the new design is not solely a reaction to "time, money, and fear." She looks for new development to be a response to a "great challenge" and a manifestation of "strong architecture" in bigger and smaller buildings alike.

Praise for the LMDC plan
Alexander Garvin, the LMDC's urban planner told Newsday that the plan "represents the best possible consensus at the moment."

AIA New York endorsed the LMDC proposal, noting that it incorporated many of the principles laid out by the New York New Visions design and planning coalition, of which the chapter is a member.

Calling the document a "good starting point for the planning process, Leevi Kiil, FAIA, said, "the LMDC report reiterated and extended the seven major concepts of the New York New Visions report, such as an open memorial process, a flexible mixed-use future for Lower Manhattan, and a demand for design excellence with an emphasis on sustainability." The "Principles for Action and Preliminary Blueprint" would encourage the use of "green building" technology.

The proposal also cites the creation of a "freedom park," elements of which would feature a memorial to the victims of the World Trade Center attack and a museum tied to several New York City landmarks and institutions, such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the New York Stock Exchange. The planners indicated that there would be an international design competition for the memorial.

"In fulfilling its mission, the LMDC is committed to an inclusive and open memorial process," according to the Board. The proposals, many of which have been openly advocated by city and state officials, emerged from eight LMDC advisory councils. To develop its guiding principles, the LMDC also met with community and civic groups, city planners, not-for-profit organizations, elected officials, and government agencies.

The LMDC documents do not indicate how much the plans cost or how it will pay for them, but corporation officials said the proposals signify that the rebuilding process has begun.

Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.