January 8, 2003
The LMDC released drafts of a mission statement and program guidelines for the creation of a memorial at the World Trade Center site that would remember and honor those who lost their lives on September 11. Committees comprised of family members, residents, survivors, emergency workers, arts and architecture professionals, and community leaders drafted the statement and guidelines. This began the public commentary period, which included a public meeting at Pace University. Once finalized, the guidelines were incorporated into an international memorial competition.

February 4, 2003
The LMDC announced its selection of Studio Daniel Libeskind and the THINK team as finalists in the competition to select a master plan for the World Trade Center site. The two finalists were selected after unanimous agreement was reached at a four-hour session that included representatives of the LMDC, Port Authority, and New York City and State. Both plans provide connectivity to the urban fabric of Lower Manhattan, ensure an appropriate context for a memorial, and include structures that would become the largest buildings in the world.

February 10, 2003
Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a multi-billion-dollar transit plan, outlining the creation of a Lower Manhattan transportation infrastructure which would link all of the area's subway lines and PATH into a seamless transit network. The plan also included a World Trade Center transportation hub and the new Fulton Street Transit Center, slated to move forward as soon as 2004.

February 27, 2003
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced the selection of Studio Daniel Libeskind as the team to redesign the World Trade Center. The design scheme -- the work of Polish-born American architect Daniel Libeskind -- preserves, in part, the existing slurry wall of the World Trade Center foundation, creates a multi-faceted setting for a memorial, includes transportation and cultural centers, and has a 1,776-foot spire-topped -- taller than any other building in the world.

March 13, 2003
LMDC directors agreed on a final mission statement and program for the design of a memorial, to be built on the WTC site honoring those killed there on 9/11, as well as the victims of the 9/11 attacks in Virginia and Pennsylvania and the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993.

March 21, 2003
The LMDC and Port Authority announced they will jointly retain Studio Daniel Libeskind as the master design architect for the WTC site. Libeskind would be involved in all aspects of planning, with the LMDC taking the lead on the memorial process and the Port Authority assuming primary responsibility for planning on-site transportation facilities and infrastructure.

March 26, 2003
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) completed work removing the dust and debris that accumulated on the roofs, windows, and facades of downtown buildings following the World Trade Center collapse. At the project's close, DEP crews had cleaned the exteriors of 221 buildings, totaling more than 3.6 million square feet.

April 8, 2003
The LMDC outlined the memorial competition details. The competition would be open to anyone 18 or older, with no restrictions on nationality or requirement of any particular professional credential. The LMDC conducted an extensive, international outreach campaign to generate interest in the contest. A $25 entry fee per submission would go toward the construction of the memorial.

April 10, 2003
The LMDC approved a 13-member jury, including professionals from the world of art, architecture, academia, and government as well as a victim’s family member, to select the design of a memorial to be built at the World Trade Center site. A series of public forums were held throughout April and May to allow the jury to hear public comments concerning the selection of the final memorial plan.

April 25, 2003
Governor Pataki outlined an ambitious and specific timetable for the revitalization of Lower Manhattan, a plan consistent with the one the mayor presented in December 2002.
Pataki's schedule, which touched on a wide range of plans, programs, and construction downtown, began with the memorial competition, set a September 11, 2006 deadline for completion of the 1,776-foot tower that is the structural center-piece of the World Trade center site, and would end with the opening of a rail link to Kennedy International Airport in 2013.

April 30, 2003
New Yorkers reacted favorably at a public hearing sponsored by the MTA to discuss the proposed redevelopment of the Fulton Street Transit Hub.

Spring 2003
Lower Manhattan saw the opening of new and returning businesses, including the Greenmarket, the Millenium Hotel, a new Equinox gym in Tribeca, Borders Books, and many new restaurants and retail outlets.

May 27, 2003
The LMDC allocated $25 million to rehabilitate and create parks and green spaces downtown. The project was designed to include a variety of improvements, from public plazas and sitting areas to playgrounds and ballfields. Thirteen locations were slated for rehabilitation and included East River spaces (Coenties Slip, Old Slip, and Wall Street Triangle), neighborhood parks (Al Smith Playground, Brooklyn Bridge/Drumgoole Plaza, Tribeca Park, and Washington Market Park), and parks serving as gateways to downtown communities (the Bosque in Battery Park, Bowling Green, and a new park between Canal, Varick, and Laight Streets).

May 28, 2003
Registration for the World Trade Center memorial competition closed, with 13,683 expressions of interest, the largest ever response to a design competition. The successful international outreach program by the LMDC drew entries from more than 90 countries. 4,600 registrants were residents of New York State.

June 12, 2003
The LMDC announced it would convene a series of targeted workshops in six downtown neighborhoods to gather public input on how to spend the money in remaining redevelopment funds targeted for the area below Houston Street. State and city officials had already considered a variety of possible uses for the money, including projects to create and improve transportation, housing, culture, and open space.

June 17, 2003
Kevin Rampe was named president of the LMDC after serving as interim president since March 4.

June 30, 2003
By the final day of the memorial competition, 5,201 designs were submitted. The jury began to review the anonymous submissions and select finalists.

August 7, 2003
A team led by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was selected by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to design the downtown transportation hub planned for Ground Zero. Calatrava had drawn widespread acclaim for a number of transportation structures in Europe, including rail and subway stations in Lisbon, Portugal, and Valencia, Spain.

August 22, 2003
Gov. George Pataki attended a ceremonial groundbreaking for a pedestrian bridge spanning West Street at Vesey Street. The bridge, slated for completion in time for the scheduled November 2003 reopening of a temporary PATH station at the World Trade Center, would accommodate a dramatic increase in pedestrian traffic (about 6,000 people during the morning rush) between the WTC site and the World Financial Center.

September 17, 2003
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation unveiled a revised master plan for the World Trade Center site that made some important real-world adjustments while very much preserving Libeskind’s existing design, both in spirit and on the ground.

November 19, 2003
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced the selection of eight finalist in the World Trade Center Memorial Competition.

November 23, 2003
A temporary PATH station opened at the World Trade Center Site which gave an estimated 50,000 riders an easier commute to Lower Manhattan.

November 26, 2003
City and state officials announced a plan to revitalize Lower Manhattan's Financial District, calling for streetscape changes in the several blocks surrounding the New York Stock Exchange. Intended alterations, to be carried out in three phases, would make the area more attractive and easier to navigate without compromising the increased security measures put in place after 9/11. Some changes, including repaved streets, new security barriers and planters, were already underway.

December 19, 2002
City and state officials unveiled a plan for the Freedom Tower, the ambitious structure to be built at the World Trade Center site. Designed by collaborating architects David Childs and Daniel Libeskind, when completed, the building will stand as the tallest in the world and make use of environmentally sensitive technology.