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The World Trade Center: Politics and Policies of Skyscraper Development
Book by Leonard I. Ruchelman; Syracuse University Press, 1977

Preface AS BUILDINGS are made ever larger and as their numbers increase, American cities are being confronted with highly complex problems. Transporting large numbers of people in and out of high-density districts, meeting the growing demand for sewerage, water, and energy services, assuring the visual and functional compatibility of large structures with the environment, and delivering effective police and fire protection are sources of serious concern in cities where there is extensive construction of tall buildings. Of special interest is that the development of tall building technology is rapidly outracing the social, political, and managerial means of applying it for the benefit of society. Focusing on the World Trade Center in New York City, the world's second-tallest building, I have investigated how decision-making--proposing, planning, modifying, and implementing a project--contributes or fails to contribute to societal concerns. An important aspect of this research involved inquiry into the capacity of the public and private sectors to establish effective policies and controls.

What is perhaps the most significant lesson to be drawn from this study is how difficult it is for decision-makers to approximate rational decision-making where complex technical and social questions have to be resolved. As we shall see, World Trade Center planners brought to bear very sophisticated forms of expertise to produce what they hoped would be the best possible structure. Yet the center was dated even before it could be completed. Much of this can be attributed to the very rapid rate of change taking place in contemporary society. In the 1960s, such concerns as the energy crisis and environmental degradation were understood by few persons; fewer still were prepared to do anything about it. Also, we shall see how difficult it is for the governmental sector to anticipate change in order best to provide for public needs. This in spite of the fact that the governments of New York City and New Jersey assumed a very aggressive posture toward the development of the trade center complex. How well large-scale development has met the needs of the public is a fundamental question which social science must begin to address. How it can meet these needs more adequately is the question to which the present work is dedicated. Assessing the effects of skyscraper construction is a potentially useful method of determining the societal efficacy of tall-building policies. In the case of the World Trade Center, we shall examine the effects of such construction upon land-use planning and redevelopment, general service systems (energy, sewers, water, sanitation), transportation, and public safety (fire and crime control).

One important limitation to the present study is that case material is derived from one high-rise building which is unique in its size, location, and design. For this reason, findings must be considered exploratory rather than conclusive. Nevertheless, I am aware of no other empirical studies which attempt to treat this particular subject systematically. There is a dearth of reliable models from which one might derive answers to the general problem of how high-rise development can best answer public needs. In light of the growing controversy over high-rise construction in many of the nation's cities, this gap in knowledge assumes a special urgency. It is to be hoped that much of value can be learned from the present study; for in spite of the uniqueness of the World Trade Center, its basic features are comparable to other more typical buildings. Conclusions and recommendations presented in this work should, therefore, help public and private planners in other cities avoid errors, which might otherwise prove unavoidable.

Although construction first began in 1966, the World Trade Center was not yet complete at the time of this writing. Thus, the effects of the complex remain to be fully assessed. We should note for the record that at present the management is signing leases in all of its office structures except for the Southeast Plaza Building, which is not yet finished. Of the two hundred thousand square-foot area reserved for commercial use in the immense retail concourse, about half is still unopened. Construction has not yet begun on the long-delayed hotel. Finishing touches are now being applied to the grandiose five-acre plaza. Most significant from the point of view of the management is that 7 million square feet of office space in the towers and surrounding buildings have been rented with new rentals going for about $9 a square foot. (The price was around $6.50 when the center first opened in 1970.) This is about 80 percent of an ultimate 9 million square feet to be let to tenants. The objectives of this research project could not have been accomplished without the assistance of many people who showed interest and gave freely of their time. I am indebted to the management of the World...