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Washington, DC 2003       

Canberra 2002

The National Capital Planning Commission hosted the second annual meeting of the Alliance in Washington, D.C, from October 19-24, 2003. Senior planning officials from 10 capital cities gathered to exchange strategies on building vibrant national capitals and to get a behind-the-scenes look at new development in the American capital.

Delegates discussed the stewardship of national land and historic buildings, commemoration and national celebration, security, and the accommodation of embassies and international organizations.

The meeting attracted more than 30 senior representatives from the capitals of Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Japan, Germany, Russia, South Korea, and the United States.

Highlights of the week-long meeting included a lecture at the National Building Museum given by noted international architect and master planner of the World Trade Center, Daniel Libeskind. The standing-room-only event, cosponsored by NCPC and the National Building Museum, drew an audience of more than 1,300 to hear Libeskind’s plans for rebuilding the 16-acre World Trade Center site.

Another event was a public panel examining Washington’s struggle to be both a livable city and the symbolic seat of government. During their time in Washington, Capitals Alliance delegates also:

• Toured the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center construction site,
• Attended the public panel, “Planning a 21^st Century Capital City,” featuring some of the nation’s leading architectural and planning experts,
• Toured several prominent foreign embassies and chanceries,
• Met with the designers of the Pentagon Memorial to victims of September 11.