Regional Plan Association works toward a better future for the tri-state region.
Listening to the City program MAP

Feb 2002

Listening to the City

Listening to the City

Report of proceedings

view report pdf
view the event program

More than 600 concerned citizens, civic leaders and public officials from throughout the metropolitan region came together on February 7, 2002, for the first ​“Listening to the City” forum. This modern town hall meeting brought together participants from all walks of life—downtown residents and workers, families of victims and survivors, emergency and rescue workers, business and property owners, interested citizens and community leaders—all committed to charting a bold new vision for Lower Manhattan and honoring those who lost their lives on September 11.

This forum was convened by Regional Plan Association and organized by the Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York. Its goal was to provide people who live and work in the region and others whose lives have been irrevocably altered by the terrorist attacks with the opportunity to profoundly influence the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan and the creation of a fitting memorial. During the day-long event at the South Street Seaport, participants spoke, listened, bonded and learned. By the close of the forum, they had forged a common vision of the values and principles for rebuilding that represent the aspirations, memories and pride of New York and the metropolitan region.

Future forums—including a large ​“citizen summit” called ​“Listening to the City II,” with several thousand participants, planned for the summer of 2002— will evaluate specific rebuilding plans and proposals as they develop.

Listening to the City Room

Image from Listening to the City II, the second event in the series, attended by more than 1,500 participants and held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in the summer of 2002.

What emerged on February 7 was a remarkable consensus that in order to transform Lower Manhattan into the world’s first great 21st century urban space, a balance must be struck—between residential and office construction; between strengthening the financial sector and building a broader economic base; between restoring real estate and attending to social and cultural needs; and between the urgency to rebuild and the need for deliberative planning.

Participants expressed a common vision for a powerful memorial that is integrated into the very fabric of downtown. This memorial would honor the ​“everyday people” who were lost, as well as the heroism, sacrifice and resiliency that were—and continue to be—demonstrated throughout the city, region, nation and world.

The depth of the exchange among participants was strengthened by their considerable age, income, racial, geographic and gender diversity and the unique perspectives that informed the discussions at each ten-to-twelve person round table. Many participants represented communities whose voices often go unheard.

Guided by a trained facilitator, participants at each table group were able to hear, learn from and reach consensus with viewpoints that were both innovative and unfamiliar. One participant expressed appreciation for ​“the opportunity to brainstorm with people from different walks of life.”

Also joining the discussions were many key decision-makers who will ultimately lay the foundation for the redevelopment process. Charles Gargano, Chairman & CEO of the Empire State Development Corporation, emphasized that ​“our diverse communities [must] remain united…so we may act and achieve great things for this city, this state of New York, and this nation, together.”

Listening to the city cover icon

Listening to the City Event Program

This daylong event provides people who live and work in the metropolitan region with a chance to influence the rebuilding of Downtown New York in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

read the program

Facilitated by AmericaSpeaks, a nationally-recognized non-profit organization, ​“Listening to the City” participants engaged in intimate round table discussions while using innovative decision-support technologies to instantly share their ideas and recommendations with all those present. Each participant was exposed to a host of diverse perspectives, both by engaging in rich small-group conversations and by viewing the results from the other 60 tables in real-time.

Overall, those who participated in ​“Listening to the City” were quite satisfied with both the significant work that was accomplished on February 7 and the usage of this model for gaining public input. ​“It was very informative and beneficial,” said one participant. ​“I now have a good overview of what must be accomplished after the needs of all concerned are evaluated and, hopefully, balanced.”

Research Areas

Housing & Neighborhood Planning

Location

New York

Acknowledgements

A Project of the Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York

Event Partners Include:
Regional Plan Association
America Speaks
NYU Wagner
New School University Milano Graduate School

Other Reports in this Series

Dec 2024
in Listening to the City
Housing Jersey City: Assessing Current and Future Gaps
Oct 2024
in Listening to the City
Eastern Connecticut Housing Needs Assessment
Oct 2024
in Listening to the City
Windham County Housing Profile
Oct 2024
in Listening to the City
Tolland County Housing Profile

Total Reports

531

Search Our Reports

Filters

Research Areas

Date

Search the entire site