Study says too much of downtown is off limits Theresa Agovino
Almost 30% of the public space in the financial district and the area around city hall is either limited or closed to the public because of security measures and barriers, threatening the city’s vitality, according to a new study.
The study found that the area around city hall, including court houses, is roughly 71 acres with 43 acres of public space and that 36% of the public space is either limited or closed.
The financial district is roughly 95 acres with 43 acres designated as public. Almost 18% of the public space is either completely off limits or access is curtailed.
The study was conducted by using maps and then sending researchers to examine the public space at the end of last year.
“I was shocked by the scale of the limits,” said Justin Hollander, an assistant professor of urban planning at Tufts University, who conducted the study with Jeremy Nemeth, who holds the same title at the University of Colorado. “It is scary because neighborhoods are changing before our eyes.”
Mr. Hollander assumes that much more of the public space such as parks, plazas, roads and allies was open before the attacks of September 11, 2001.
He said he understands that officials want to keep the city safe from more terrorist attacks, but more work needs to be done to give people access to public space around the buildings.
“People need a place to congregate. They need a place to exercise their free speech,” Mr. Hollander said. “The very vitality of the city demands public space.”
The city had no immediate comment. 
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