“Four years ago today, New York City experienced an act of violence and destruction that changed us forever. Thousands of innocent people died that terrible morning – many of them during a valiant attempt to rescue those who were trapped in the Twin Towers. To this day, their loss remains a source of great grief and pain for us all.

“But out of that loss, we also found hope and strength. From the smoke and rubble was born a new spirit of compassion and cooperation that has steered our city’s recovery. In every corner of every borough, new businesses are thriving, new parks are blooming, and new communities are gradually taking shape, including right at the heart of where we were attacked – Lower Manhattan.

“Within the past days, we’ve taken major steps toward constructing two important train stations there – the Fulton Street Transit Hub, which will seamlessly tie together 11 separate and heavily traveled subway lines, and Santiago Calatrava’s stunning Path Station at the World Trade Center, which will push the boundaries of architectural engineering.

“Along with the new Whitehall Ferry Terminal, the redesigned South Ferry subway station and the reconstructed West Street, these projects will vastly improve the links between Lower Manhattan and the rest of the city, the region and the world.

“Millions of people will flow through these gateways every day. Many of them will head to work in sleek new office buildings that will soon rise around Ground Zero. Over the next few months, we’ll put the finishing touches on the new 7 World Trade Center. Then we’ll break ground on the Freedom Tower and Memorial, which will eventually help fill the physical as well as the emotional void left by the World Trade Center Towers.

“These projects, and others that will start over the next six months, represent an extraordinary surge of public and private construction activity, totaling close to $10 billion.

“A diverse collection of some of the city’s top employers has already made important decisions to relocate or expand downtown: HIP of Greater New York, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, which will soon start work on a $2.4 billion building for their new headquarters. Their commitments to Lower Manhattan signify a major vote of confidence in this neighborhood and in all of our city.

“But the truth is business is already booming again in Lower Manhattan. The streets are teeming with shoppers and visitors. And the area’s residential population has grown by 44% since 2000. With federal funding, we’ve improved more than 20 parks and public spaces. And we’ve unveiled plans to open up the area’s East River waterfront, which will do even more to reinvent New York’s historic birthplace as a vibrant, diverse 21st century downtown.

“Despite long odds and innumerable challenges, we have come a long way over the past four years. Of course, there’s still a lot more work ahead. But we’ve shown that we have got the determination, the innovation and the spirit to get it done. And that makes today – the fourth anniversary of September 11th – not merely a sad reflection of our loss – but a true celebration of life.”