Memorial Planning in Berlin, London and New York

Abstract

This paper comparatively examines how three major world cities plan for the ongoing development of memorials in their public spaces. The predominant focus is on memorials that have been erected in these cities over the past two decades, many of which have new forms and address new subjects. Each city has strategies for regulating the themes, sites and designs of future memorial proposals, because of significant ongoing demand, and to calibrate commemoration against other land use needs. Drawing upon interviews with city planners and memorial designers, analysis of planning documents and project briefs, and spatial analysis of memorial layouts, the paper analyses the needs, opportunities, constraints and historical contexts that are shaping new memorial development. It identifies the aims, principles and practices of the plans and regulations that guide memorial locations, designs and subject matter. It examines the historical evolution of formal memorial planning strategies and regulations in each city in relation to proposals and designs for individual new memorials and the availability of particular sites.