Rebuilding Ideas Wanted

If you want to contribute ideas for the rebuilding of Downtown and the memorialization of the Sept. 11 tragedy, this weekend your two cents are wanted.

The Municipal Art Society’s "Imagine New York" project, a series of public workshops on Lower Manhattan’s redevelopment, culminates on Saturday and Sunday with more than 75 meetings in neighbhorhoods throughout the city and region. People are invited to share their opinions, ideas and concerns about the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and the downtown area, the creation of permanent memorials, and the response to the tragedy’s impact on New York City.

Three workshops will be held in Lower Manhattan. Two will take place on Saturday, one at Pace University, One Pace Plaza, in the south lecture hall on the second floor, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the other at the National Museum of the American Indian, 1 Bowling Green, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Sunday workshop will take place at the South Street Seaport Museum, 207 Front St., from 1 to 5 p.m.

The workshops include brainstorming activities, guided discussions and informal conversations. The Muncipal Art Society encourages as many people as possible to participate.

To sign up for one of the sessions, or to get more information, including other workshop locations, visit the project’s website or call 750-3972.

The MAS will collect the ideas generated at the workships, identify common themes, and issue a summary report, which will be shared with government officials, private developers and the public. Results will also be presented on the project’s website and in an exhibition. There will also be a large "town hall" meeting with representatives from each workshop, for further discussion and synthesis of the ideas.