It’s been five years since the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, where nearly 3,000 lost their lives. Still there is no tangible marker erected on the spot, debate and controversy strangling efforts at construction. Yet memorials built in dedication to the 2002 Bali Bombings have proceeded with pervasive calm. Why is it that some memorials attract conflict in their creation, while others more easily appease?
Earlier this year, amidst protests from victims relatives, construction began on the World Trade Center memorial. In 2003, Daniel Libeskind’s master plan was selected as the winning design for the sixteen empty acres at Ground Zero. The original plan included a memorial, a set of cultural buildings and several office buildings which would “create a dense and exhilarating affirmation of New York.”
