Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 20:34:43 -0400 (EDT) From: Louis Epstein Subject: More WTC Commentary Deadlines,and July Event I note that the NY Times printed a story today with Twin Towers support at Thursday's hearing as the headline. Not nearly as big a story as their four-pages-plus-upper-front- page story on the ordeals of those who died,but rather encouraging; of course this should spur us to renew our efforts,not relax. TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE for comments on the "Draft Principles and Preliminary Blueprint for the Future of Lower Manhattan".If you haven't made any yet,too late to mail them...email them at once to renewnyc@empire.state.ny.us after looking over the document (fails to commit to bringing the Towers back,needs to be amended to do so) at the website http://www.renewnyc.org/ (it's a PDF download :(). While we're on the subject of PDF documents that are open for commentary and need to hear from people urging restoration of the Twin Towers...July 20th's giant "Listening to the City II" event that we will either manage to register for or demonstrate about our exclusion from is going to be run by the Civic Alliance,which in turn is organized by the Regional Plan Association. The Civic Alliance has released its own "Framework" report,and comments on it are open until JUNE 3RD. You can find it at http://www.civic-alliance.org/ (same domain as listening@civic-alliance.org,the email address to register for July 20th event). Comments are to be directed to Petra Todorovich at petra@rpa.org (and she is apparently the person who reads emails sent to the "listening" address, so if we're trying to avoid them filtering out rebuilding supporters you might want to hold off commenting if you're also registering,unless you have some really good arguments to lay out). The telephone number (apparently 24-hour) to register is 800-862-3154. DO NOT DELAY REGISTERING IF YOU CAN BE THERE!! IF YOU CAN NOT BE THERE,READ AND COMMENT ON THE "FRAMEWORK"! The Civic Alliance,like the Whitehead group,is talking "human scale","mixed use",and other phrases of cheerful remaking of the area where thousands died into one they wouldn't recognize.They are people who like to plan change,and with Uncle Osama giving them a nice big sandbox to play in they're not talking about the message it sends to let his act of destruction endure. The "Framework" document accordingly sees the WTC superblock divided into twelve pieces,completely restoring the street grid.(More common plans see it cut in four).Again...deadline for comments on it, to petra@rpa.org,is June 3rd! The Civic Alliance will be running the July 20th event like they did their smaller one on February 7th. Participants will be divided into tables of 10-12 people with a "trained facilitator" leading the discussions,and transmitting suggestions from the tables via networked laptops.Ideas that there is significant agreement on at tables will get better play than ones advocated by a lonely person whose tablemates don't agree,as shown by their presentation of what happened in February.(Both building something dramatically tall on the site and leaving the whole area as a memorial park were so classified). I am not sure if they divide people completely at random or by some formula,or if there's any volition in taking seats.Obviously,it is not in our interest to either be clustered densely in just a few tables, or to be divided up into lonely representatives at tables where no one agrees with us...of course it is important for us to speak persuasively so that tablemates and "facilitator" can be swayed. They will likely set the agenda around the proposals that Beyer Blinder Belle will have come up with, asking people for their reactions.We need to show support for whatever options may include Twin Towers, and look at others with the view of acknowledging any good parts as far as they go,but insisting that it is inappropriate for new Twin Towers to be omitted from any design option. We will probably be discouraged from distributing any written materials of our own,but should consider printing and bringing some. Beyond the need to deal with those who have produced these reports,I think we should try to "fight fire with fire"...produce a professional-looking (but NOT PDF,let it be on the web as HTML) urban-design study/ report of our own! There's no reason the blank-slate types should have a monopoly on urban-visionary talk...I believe we can generate a document that takes as a given that of COURSE the Twin Towers will be rebuilt,and goes on from there to address all the other mass transit and so on issues. If it's true that there won't be as much of a need for office space,then that means that OTHER office buildings may not be needed,and adding more stairwells in the Twins would be less of a concern since the space they took up would go empty or depress prices anyway. I'm interested in assistance from any of you on the design and content of this report...let's get it done and inject it into the debate! I note that before the collapse the WTC was near capacity despite having doubled its asking rents in the last five or so years...surely a rebuilt center with somewhat lower incentive rents would do reasonably! Upcoming dates...reminders... June 5th will see the release of the revised "Principles and Preliminary Blueprint",after Thursday's hearing and Whitehead being quoted as now being open to the Towers perhaps they will rate a mention as a possibility. June 26th is the deadline for comments (to the renewnyc address) "leading up to Phase I RFP". The Phase I Request For Proposals will be released in early July,along with the six options for development from Beyer Blinder Belle,and there will be an announcement about the memorial design process. July 20th is the "Listening to the City II".(see above) The next public hearing is "first week in August"...let's make sure there's as pro-Towers a crowd there as the first one! August 19th is deadline for comments on the Phase I document. (to the renewnyc address,presumably,or hard copy to the ESDC P.O. Box) September 1st they intend to narrow the six development options to three,a good effort will be needed to make sure Towers options make the cut! The Phase II document comes out toward the end of September. TWO public hearings will be held about it,in the first and second weeks of October.Don't know if they'll discourage repeat attendance,but if possible,I'd say attend both and only speak at one.(So if you get called on the first time,don't put your hand up the second, just applaud sympathetic speakers). October 31st is the end of the comment period for Phase II. The Phase III document,the intended final plan,is to be released in December,with hearings and comments afterward. Closing note...the flammability of aluminum at high temperatures has been cited as one of the things that worsened the disaster on September 11th.Please,people... don't be too attached to any aspect of the old design that would make people less likely to support new Towers! -=-=- The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again, at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.