Beneath this altered skyline, find progress

Despite the passage of time, history has not yet put the terrorist attacks of two years ago into full perspective. In many respects, the first draft is still being written. But true to the spirit of New York, the city has not stopped. It has begun the process of moving forward, forging a vision of a stronger future for Lower Manhattan, while preserving the memory of the tragedy and heroism that the world witnessed two years ago.

On many levels, the work has just begun, and it will be years before the process is complete. But important first steps have been taken.

Over the weeks and months following the attacks, city and state officials and agencies-- including the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), created following 9/11 to serve as the lead rebuilding agency for the area -- have worked to rebuild and revitalize a wide swath of Lower Manhattan.

They have sought to assist businesses both large and small; to ensure the health and safety of residents as they returned to their homes, and to meet the medical needs, both physical and mental, of survivors, residents, and workers. No less daunting have been the tasks of reconnecting disrupted thoroughfares and transit systems, overseeing the cleanup of the World Trade Center site, and planning the site's physical reconstruction.

Perhaps most significantly, the various participants in the rebuilding effort, including active residential and business communities, appear united around the goal of creating a Lower Manhattan that is stronger than what existed before.

Today, LowerManhattan.info offers three perspectives on these ongoing efforts to revitalize the area below Houston Street:

• Rebuilding: Physical Reconstruction of the WTC Site
• Transportation: Mending the Network
• Assistance and Incentives: Helping New Yorkers

Nothing will replace the World Trade Center, or repair the emotional damage of the attacks to our national psyche. But history is still taking shape in Lower Manhattan.