'Meaningful adjacencies': How the names on the 9/11 Memorial were arranged

The seemingly random listing of nearly 3,000 names actually constitutes a complex, highly personal ordering

A rendering of the northeast corner of the south 9/11 memorial pool: The victims' names are grouped by personal and professional connections.
(Image credit: Facebook/National September 11 Memorial and Museum)

Conventional wisdom suggests that, when planning a memorial to victims of a war or tragedy, you ought to list the names of the victims in some sort of ordered fashion — alphabetically, for example, or possibly by birth date. The creators of New York's 9/11 Memorial, however, are commemorating those who died in a more meaningful — if incredibly complicated — way. Here's a short guide to the strategy:

How are the names listed?

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