Built on empty land-fill from the excavation of the World Trade Centers in the 1970s, Battery Park City is today a premier waterfront destination and perhaps the most successful new commercial development in the USA. The Master Plan proposed two then-radical concepts: 1) extension of the adjacent street grid across the site creating a normalized development pattern while discouraging through traffic; and 2) an open space system with a continuous esplanade, commercial plaza, and neighborhood parks with walkways connecting them to one another and the city. These pedestrian connections and three nearby transit stations eliminate the need for a car. New buildings on the site meet LEED GOLD standards.




