In this weeks reading, “Union Square and the Paradox of Public Space,” Sharon Zukin writes quite a bit on the different groups that control public spaces like Union Square and similarly the WTC. She mentions that after 9/11, there was a dissonance in the steps that were to be taken to rebuild the World Trade Center. Several different groups involved in rebuilding included branches of city government, most notably the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), which was a new state agency, commercial landlords, residents, and financial firms. While some were largely political, plans to rebuild the area also had to represent the general public and present sensitivity to the victims’ families. Of course, each group had different motivations.
This reminded me of the opening of the 9/11 memorial museum. For most New Yorkers, the site brings back the horrible events of that day. The memorial museum beautifully encapsulates and remembers the people that perished in the attack, but one component of the museum continues to bother many people. At the end of the exhibition there is a gift shop selling knick-knacks and souvenirs, most likely targetting tourists, as few New Yorkers in their right minds would buy a souvenir to remember a day so firmly etched into their memory. In addition to this, the space that the museum lies on is a burial site. It isn’t a place to be making a profit. Because decisions about the space are made primarily by people with money, and the different people that address the gift shop have different motivations, a great discrepancy in understanding is established and places like this pop up. The public opinion and the private opinion that makes these decisions about public spaces are at odds and can often jeopardize the authenticity of the space as Zukin points out.
Read the article here.
Questions:
- What other spaces in New York can you see a discrepancy in the public and private opinion?
- How can this discrepancy be avoided?
- Does money always triumph public opinion?
