Urban Design Approaches and Concept Plans3Lower Manhattan Development CorporationPort Authority of New York and New Jersey69he six concept plans presented hereillustrate ideas for land use, infrastruc-ture planning and building massing. Theelements of each plan can be mixed and matched toform other combinations. No single plan is expectedto be the final site plan.The concept plans are not architectural designs forproposed buildings. Rather, they present differentrelationships of uses and elements on the site andadjacent areas that will provide desirable spaces forfuture works of architecture. Furthermore, we mustcoordinate an extraordinarily dense cluster of trans-portation, utility and communications infrastructureand weave it into the fabric of Lower Manhattan.After a final plan is approved, the second stage ofthe planning process will begin – architectural designbefitting of the importance of the site to the city, thestate, the nation, and, indeed, the world. TUrban Design Approaches and Concept PlansLower Manhattan Development CorporationPort Authority of New York and New Jersey70Elements of the program are included in each concept plan, though arrangeddifferently: public open space, memorial sites, sites for cultural amenities, agalleria connecting retail amenities with the PATH and a mass transit hub,commercial office space, hotel, and bus and freight loading facilities. Eachplan begins with a different conceptual approach to the memorial, as reflectedby their six respective names.In all six concept plans, possible sites for new residential construction or con-version to residential use are provided for off-site, in the area directly southof Liberty Street and north of the World Trade Center site at the intersectionof Greenwich Street and West Broadway. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Churchis rebuilt on a site on Washington Street. Some of these proposals may requirethe acquisition of property as well as new construction or the renovation ofexisting structures, while avoiding the demolition of high-quality buildings.The following is a list of the LMDC and PA Joint Criteria for evaluation of thesix concept plans.I. Place with a Distinctive Identity and SkylineHow does the plan incorporate its important ideas? Does the plan createa distinctive identity for the site as a special place? Does the plan create amajor element or icon for the Lower Manhattan skyline?II. Memorial Location and SequenceWhere is the memorial located and what is its size? How is it experienced?How is it approached from the PATH and subways? From buses? How doesit appear from a distance?III. FeasibilityDoes the plan meet the programmatic needs of the PA’s net lease obligations(office, retail, hotel)? Is the project buildable and financially feasible?Does it make sense? IV. Absorption and StagingCan the market absorb this development? Over what timeframe and marketcycles? Can the plan be phased and developed over time by different devel-opers, builders and architects if needs be?V. PATH and Mass TransitDoes the plan provide for new mass transit facilities for the PATH and thesubways? Does the plan address the needs of a commuter and tourist busfacility, loading areas and parking spaces? How does the plan improveaccess for commuters from throughout the region?LMDC and PA Joint Criteria for EvaluationUrban Design Approaches and Concept PlansLower Manhattan Development CorporationPort Authority of New York and New Jersey71VI. ConnectionsWhat are the different paths through the site? Does the plan improve cross-town and north-south connections with the World Financial Center andBattery Park City, TriBeCa, the area south of Liberty Street, and Broadwayand the Financial District? What are the routes from the center to thewaterfront? How well does the plan connect Lower Manhattan to NewJersey, Brooklyn and Long Island?VII. The Street GridDoes the project create streets that allow for mixed-use development on bothsides and quiet open spaces protected from through traffic?VIII. Open SpaceDoes the plan allow for spaces for both active and passive recreation? Dothe open spaces provide a setting for development in the surroundingareas? Do plans for open spaces create opportunities for new vistas at theground level?IX. Multiple Mixed UsesIs the plan adequately flexible to accommodate civic, cultural and alterna-tive uses without requiring future major plan changes? How and where isadditional residential development in Lower Manhattan anticipated?X. Relation of the Site to Existing Buildings and SpacesHow does the plan relate to St. Paul’s Chapel, the United States Postal Servicebuilding, the Verizon building, the Winter Garden, and Vesey Street, the onlyopen view corridor to the Hudson River from Broadway?XI. Traffic PatternsDoes the project address the traffic congestion problems that face LowerManhattan? Does it provide for adequate flow of pedestrian traffic fromsubways (on both street level and below ground) into the surrounding city?Does the project provide for an adequate flow of bus traffic (commuter andtour buses)?XII. West StreetDoes the plan address West Street’s width and traffic challenges? Does theplan place West Street below grade? Does the plan call for decking or bridg-ing over the street?XIII. Re-establishing a Successful City FabricDoes the site create an interesting and lively city district in itself? Does it havecontinuous streets? Does it contain appropriately scaled open space? Does itblend with adjacent city neighborhoods to form a new cohesive neighborhood?LMDC and PA Joint Criteria for EvaluationUrban Design Approaches and Concept PlansFigure-GroundLower Manhattan Development CorporationPort Authority of New York and New Jersey72This concept plan creates an 8-acre plaza west of an extended GreenwichStreet, with sites for memorials and buildings for museum/cultural uses.Fulton and Cortlandt Streets are extended to Greenwich Street, and Fultonbecomes a pedestrian path through the open space to connect to the WorldFinancial Center. West Street express traffic is submerged in a tunnel, andlocal traffic is carried on a narrowed surface boulevard, to allow the openspace and memorial or cultural facilities to expand to the west. A tall,freestanding mixed-use tower is located on the northwest corner of thesite, with an antenna or sculptural top that marks the skyline. This towerwould terminate a grand promenade linking the site to Battery Park, and viaferry, Ellis Island and the Statue of
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