Is it time to rename 'Ground Zero'?

As the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches and rebuilding nears completion, some say the reference is depressing and dated

The site as seen from above
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

With the 10th anniversary of September 11 just over a month away, and plans for its commemoration being finalized, some are questioning whether the site of the attacks should still be called Ground Zero. Critics argue that the city of New York should re-embrace the original name, the World Trade Center, to reflect the renewal that has taken place at the site, and jettison a name that evokes years of emptiness and impasse. Is it time for a Ground Zero name change?

Yes, it's no longer an apt moniker: "Go take a look at it — it is not Ground Zero anymore," says the president of the pro-business organization Alliance for Downtown New York, Elizabeth Berger, as quoted in The Wall Street Journal. Tower 1 now rises nearly 70 stories, and Tower 4 is close behind. Besides, "Ground Zero is a phrase mostly used by people outside lower Manhattan," not by those who live and work near the site.

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