Abstract
The development of the World Trade Center (WTC) Memorial site is one of the most important design projects in U.S. history. Since the site is so venerated, the experience of individuals visiting the site has been an extremely important issue to the designers and planners. As a result, it was essential that the site provide a peaceful, nonstressful environment to the thousands of visitors who are expected on a daily basis. As part of the design process, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center began a joint effort in August 2005 to study the movement of pedestrians on the memorial site. It is anticipated that a large number of visitors, employees, and commuters will traverse the site throughout the day. A detailed description of the methodology used to analyze the projected pedestrian activity on the WTC site, including the two-dimensional real-time software used to provide a graphical representation of people's movements across the site, is provided. In addition, several key issues were examined, including an evaluation of the physical design (queuing, ticketing, landscaping, etc.), visitor experience, operational efficiency, and security and safety concerns through the use of this customized and finely grained procedure. The analysis results have enabled planners, designers, and developers to visualize and measure the functionality of the WTC Memorial site from a pedestrian perspective, including how these pedestrians will affect the entire WTC site.
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