About this Web Site

"DowntownNYC" is produced and managed by the nonprofit Project for Public Spaces (PPS) in collaboration with the Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York, a coalition of more than 75 business, community and environmental groups. Information and ideas put forth on this website will be used by the Civic Alliance to inform its recommendations and reports to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the joint State-city Corporation that is overseeing the revitalization of Lower Manhattan.

In gathering public input, this website builds upon a planning process developed by PPS, whose work on public spaces and amenities focuses on involving stakeholders in a project from the outset. This creates a prime opportunity to gather local knowledge and ideas for creating successful places, and also fosters stewardship and partnerships that can contribute to the success of a place. The result is that people develop a stake in a place, because they helped determine how it should look and function.

As part of this process, the Civic Amenities Committe of the Civic Alliance is conducting a series of workshops with a range of downtown stakeholders to solicit their ideas and opinions, which are posted on this website. Visitors to the website can then add their input, creating a body of knowledge and ideas formed by the people who live, work and use downtown.

Questions or comments? Email Us.

About the Civic Alliance

Regional Plan Association has convened The Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York to develop strategies for the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan in the aftermath of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. The Civic Alliance is a coalition of more than 75 business, community and environmental groups representing a cross-section of New York and the Region that is providing a broad "umbrella" for civic planning and advocacy efforts in support of the rebuilding of Downtown New York. The Alliance will work closely with the Empire State Development Corporation, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the City of New York to create a bold vision for a revitalized downtown.

The Civic Alliance has four goals:

• To create an open, democratic process to advance rebuilding plans.
• Provide an umbrella for all of the groups engaged in this process to share ideas and reach broad consensus on strategies and necessary actions.
• "Raise the bar" for public debate over Lower Manhattan's future; and
• Promote an expedited process for rebuilding and an ongoing advocacy process to ensure necessary public and private follow through.

Through a series of public forums, the Civic Alliance will address critical issues related to the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, including transportation, urban design, economic development, memorials, regulatory considerations, public amenities, green building and sustainable systems and social justice considerations. These meetings, both large forums and smaller roundtable sessions targeted toward decision-makers, will include presentations by Alliance partners and outsidesdom and vision of a cross-section of the city and region's civic, community, environmental and business leaders.

The Civic Alliance will maintain an active dialogue with city and state agencies to insure that civic initiatives support the work of the public rebuilding efforts. The Civic Alliance will have the independence, flexibility and long-term perspective to provide well reasoned solutions to economic, transportation, community, security and urban design concerns. The Alliance will coordinate the advocacy and planning efforts of its participants, promote common action on key policies and investments, and speak with the authority of all of the participating groups in dealing with the city and states.

Founded in 1975, Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit planning and design organization dedicated to advancing the social, cultural and economic vitality of public spaces through research, education and technical assistance. PPS has worked with over 1000 communities within the United States and abroad to help grow their public spaces into vital community places, with programs, uses and people-friendly settings that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation, and serve community needs. Its community visioning process has been applied to a full array of public spaces, including downtown districts and corridors, neighborhood commercial districts, public markets, streets, plazas, parks, central squares, transportation systems, waterfronts, and the interior and exterior spaces of public buildings.