20+ Years of Urban Rebuilding: Lessons from the Revival of Lower Manhattan after 9/11

Following the destruction of the World Trade Center and the surrounding area of Lower Manhattan from the terrorist attack of 9/11/2001 there were many heroic and extensive efforts to rebuild this iconic urban area in New York City. Political accomplishments, economic recovery, and community rehabilitation were urgent and important concerns and were continually monitored and debated. Supporting this progress and restoration of the critical infrastructure and built environment, however, was a vast and varied gathering of legislative bodies, public institutions, interest groups, and private individuals and entities. This is their story.

This book commences with a damage assessment of the immediate aftermath of the attack, describing the extent of destruction to the physical environment―buildings, public places, subway and train stations, roads and sidewalks―and the adverse consequences for the metropolitan economy, local businesses, communities, and families. Then, the story of the long route to recovery is presented, from early visionary intentions through brilliant leadership that confronted daunting bureaucratic procedures, to community voices achieving significant outcomes and eventually to an effective and exemplary partnership of public and private interests, that has produced the current vibrant urban center of downtown New York 23 years later.

Of particular interest to researchers, students, and practitioners of urban development and planning, 20+ Years of Urban Recovery contributes to current research on the urban development crisis by focusing on the unique features in rebuilding urban centers following an unforeseen event of major devastation.

Patrice Derrington has over 20 years’ experience on “Wall St.,” leading high-level property finance and investment transactions. Combining architectural and development skills, she has also been involved in rebuilding efforts in inner-city neighborhoods and was the executive responsible for formulating a revitalization strategy for the devastated Lower Manhattan urban fabric after 9/11. Now serving as the Holliday Associate Professor and Director of the Real Estate Development program at Columbia University, she researches the urban development process and its analytical principles. She is the author of Built Up: An Historical Perspective on the Contemporary Principles and Practices of Real Estate Development, also published by Routledge (2021).

Rosemary Scanlon began her career in New York as an economist for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, serving as its Chief Economist from 1983 to 1993. She was New York State Deputy Comptroller from 1993 to 1997, with the assignment to monitor the budget and economy of New York City. From 1997 to 1999 Rosemary was a Visiting Research Fellow at the London School of Economics, where she recommended establishing a dedicated economics unit for the new mayoral government of London. She joined the New York University (NYU) Schack Institute of Real Estate in 2000 as Associate Professor of Real Estate Economics and became Divisional Dean from 2011 until retiring in 2015.