As New Yorkers remember a painful past, they glimpse a bright future

The anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 offers New Yorkers and the rest of our national community an opportunity to pause, reflect, and remember, a day to quietly grieve for lives lost, to commemorate both the tragedy and the heroism that the world witnessed three years ago. 

In events large and small scheduled throughout the downtown area and beyond, thousands will come together in coming days to honor the victims and to provide support to one another. Some events are open only to family members; others welcome all who share the pain and memories of that day. "Tribute in Light," parallel beams of light streaming skyward, will return again this year to Lower Manhattan to remind us of the twin towers that no longer stand.

While the 9/11 anniversary gives us much to remember and much to mourn, it also allows us the chance to take careful stock of the progress we've made in stubbornly bouncing back from the attacks. It provides an opportunity to look at how far we've come as a city in moving forward, rebuilding, and rejuvenating Lower Manhattan.

The list of achievements and milestones is long. In the past year alone, we have seen a magnificent temporary PATH station open at the WTC site; the unveiling of designs for each the Freedom Tower, Santiago Calatrava's permanent PATH terminal and WTC transportation center, and the Fulton Street Transit Hub; the selection of "Reflecting Absence" as the design for a permanent memorial to 9/11 victims, and a Freedom Tower corner-stone laying ceremony marking the start of construction on a new World Trade Center.

However you choose to commemorate the 9/11 anniversary, we hope you'll take a moment to reflect on the strides we've made toward recovery together as a community. To help, LowerManhattan.info provides the following perspectives on the many ongoing efforts to revitalize the area below Houston Street: 

• Progress Continues Apace at the WTC Site
• Revitalizing the Downtown Transportation Network
• Rebuilding Milestones, Sept. 2003 to Sept. 2004

No matter how many years pass, we will never forget the events of September 11, 2001. But with each passing year, the future becomes brighter still.