Battle for Ground Zero: Inside the Political Struggle To Rebuild the World Trade Center

When the World Trade Center towers were brought down on 9/11, many wondered how the site might be reconstituted, if at all. Greenspan (writing program, Harvard Coll.) takes readers through what has happened, showing a sensitive awareness, largely informed by interviews with parties involved, visits to the site, and her past writings on the subject, e.g., for the Atlantic Monthly. From the start, Ground Zero has been a controversial topic. Should it become a memorial site? A burial ground? A commercial space? A hybrid one? Greenspan skillfully dissects the issues and dispassionately examines proposed designs, master plans for the entire site, and, most important, the involvement of various parties (governmental agencies, politicians, advisory groups, family members of victims, real estate developers, architects, etc.) battling to be heard. In spite of fractious debates, hostile legal actions, and agonizing delays, remarkable progress has been made. Greenspan notes the memorial honoring the victims, finished in time for 9/11's tenth anniversary, and the "Freedom Tower" (now known simply as One World Trade Center), to be completed in 2014. Sadly, with various disputes ongoing, this story is far from over.