New York, NY, June 25, 2002 - One thousand concerned residents of New York City and the surrounding region have already registered for "Listening to the City," the 21st Century town hall meeting scheduled for July 20th at the Jacob Javits Center. In addition, interest in the meeting is spreading nationally with hundreds of volunteers throughout the country donating their time to support the effort.

The meeting will be the first opportunity for members of the public to voice their views on the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's six scenarios for the redevelopment of Downtown New York and the creation of a memorial for 9/11. It will also be an occasion for participants to discuss other concerns and ideas for revitalizing the region.

From the steps of City Hall this week, City Council Members Alan Gerson, José Serrano and David Weprin urged residents of the tri-state area to take part. "'Listening to the City' is an innovative way for many voices to be heard," said Gerson.

"At this forum we can gather ideas, include everyone and create the most wonderful plan possible," said Serrano. Added Weprin, "It's very important that we involve the outer boroughs. We must take into consideration everyone's concerns."

"We want to ensure that this event is representative of the region's great diversity," said Carolyn Lukensmeyer, an organizer of "Listening to the City." "We're reaching out to people from all five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Connecticut and New Jersey with the hope of encouraging widespread participation."

Sixteen outreach teams are currently working throughout the region to recruit up to 5,000 participants. The most commonly asked question according to outreach team leader Amy Chester is, "How will my voice possibly be heard at a gathering of 5,000 people?" The answer is a mix of high technology and good old fashioned person-to-person dialogue.

That combination worked well at a prior, 600-person "Listening to the City" event, which took place February 7 at the South Street Seaport. According to one participant, Paul Epstein, "The February event had real, personal discourse in many small groups, the results of which were combined with the help of technology into reasonable large-group consensus. It was much more representative of the region than could be achieved in any small-group meeting."

With an anticipated 5,000 participants, July's "Listening to the City" will be the largest town hall meeting of its kind. To ensure all participants have an equal opportunity to share and be heard at the table discussions, organizers sounded the call nationally for 500 trained facilitators to donate their time. "Within ten days, we had over 800 volunteers from all 50 states, Canada, Europe and as far away as Australia," remarked Lukensmeyer. "That's a phenomenal demonstration that the country and the world truly care about New York City."

The job of the facilitators is to create a safe space for participants to speak their hearts and minds. At the February 7 event, they accomplished that task beautifully, according to participant Suzanne Fass. "For a meeting involving so many people, the experience was surprisingly intimate," she said. "Each group was a microcosm of sorrow, support, beauty and hope for the future."

Importantly, Listening to the City" is supported by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the two key organizations with responsibility for the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan. Their top staff will attend the event and have committed to seriously consider the recommendations and perspectives generated. That's important to people who take the time to participate. Says Andy Lun about his experience on February 7, "I'm glad that my voice is being heard. I feel we are part of the City, and the City is placing value on our opinions."

Organizers of "Listening to the City" are working hard to accommodate all interested individuals. Multiple language translators and bilingual materials will help people who don't speak English to participate. Some of the roundtable discussions will be designated for specific languages so that everyone can fully engage in the face-to-face discussions.

On-site childcare will be provided throughout the day; and thanks to NY Waterway, free ferry service will be available from convenient locations. In addition, a complimentary breakfast and lunch will be served to all participants. Individuals unable to attend on July 20th for religious observance or other compelling reasons are invited to register - on a first-come/first-served basis - for a smaller event on July 22nd.

Check-in and breakfast for "Listening to the City" start at 8:00 a.m. The program runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To register, individuals should call 1-800-862-3154 or visit www.listeningtothecity.org.

"Listening to the City" is being organized by the Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York, a coalition of more than 85 civic, labor, business, environmental groups and academic institutions, all committed to ensuring that community voices are heard. "Listening to the City" is supported by foundations, private companies and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.