World Trade Center Neighborhood Livability Plan Prepared for Manhattan Community Board 1

Community Board 1 asked the Capstone team to create a livability plan for the neighborhoods surrounding the World Trade Center site. Even before the tragic events of 9/11, the Community Board has worked to develop, grow and improve Lower Manhattan. The project study area includes the neighborhoods below Chambers Street between Broadway and West Street in Lower Manhattan. Given that the focus of rebuilding has been on the World Trade Center site itself, our charge was to focus more on the areas surrounding ground zero to better connect the site with the larger community. Our goal was to create a plan that would yield a vibrant, mixed-use community which functions as a center of business, culture, tourism and residential living alike. The plan addresses issues of overall accessibility, pedestrian, mass transit and vehicular transportation, residential construction and conversions, retail development, open space, cultural and educational facilities, and streetscape design.