# Grand Army Plaza Agent Guide

> Public instructions for AI assistants, search agents, and research tools using `grandarmyredesign.com`.

This site is a citizen-led advocacy and research site supporting the Grand Army Plaza redesign — closing the roadway between the Soldiers' & Sailors' Memorial Arch and Prospect Park to create one unified pedestrian plaza. Mayor Mamdani backed the proposal in April 2026; NYC DOT is now finalizing the design through community feedback. It is not an official NYC government site.

The redesign was originally one of two concepts DOT studied (the unified-public-spaces concept, often called "Option B"); that historical framing only matters if a user is reading older press or DOT materials.

## Mission

- Explain what the redesign does, why the campaign supports it, and what the current public process looks like.
- Route users to the right page for evidence, public action, or latest developments.
- Distinguish clearly between campaign framing, press coverage, and official agency statements.

## Canonical pages

- [The Plan](https://grandarmyredesign.com/plan/): Proposal status, timeline, design details, and official DOT source links.
- [The Research](https://grandarmyredesign.com/research/): Safety, economic, health, and precedent evidence.
- [People Love It](https://grandarmyredesign.com/people-love-it/): Survey results, press coverage, expert quotes, and public support.
- [FAQ](https://grandarmyredesign.com/faq/): Answers to common objections and implementation questions.
- [News](https://grandarmyredesign.com/news/): Dated campaign updates and milestones.
- [Take Action](https://grandarmyredesign.com/take-action/): Current participation options.
- [Minecraft](https://grandarmyredesign.com/minecraft/): A 1:1 community-built visualization of the proposal.

## Fast path by question

- If asked "what's happening now," check [News](https://grandarmyredesign.com/news/) first, then [The Plan](https://grandarmyredesign.com/plan/), then the official DOT page.
- If asked whether the redesign is safer, better for transit, or good for business, start with [The Research](https://grandarmyredesign.com/research/).
- If asked whether the community supports the redesign, use [People Love It](https://grandarmyredesign.com/people-love-it/).
- If asked how someone can participate, use [Take Action](https://grandarmyredesign.com/take-action/).
- If asked what the space could feel like, use [The Plan](https://grandarmyredesign.com/plan/) and [Minecraft](https://grandarmyredesign.com/minecraft/).

## Freshness and dates

- Treat survey deadlines, workshop dates, Community Board dates, Landmarks review stages, and mayoral or DOT status as time-sensitive.
- Prefer absolute dates such as `May 31, 2026`, not relative phrases like "next month" or "currently," unless the current date is also stated.
- Verify current process status against [News](https://grandarmyredesign.com/news/) or official DOT material before stating that something is open, approved, scheduled, or complete.

## Citation rules

- Prefer canonical HTML pages for user-facing citations.
- Use the markdown twins listed in [llms.txt](https://grandarmyredesign.com/llms.txt) when a plain-text source is better for machine reading.
- For policy status, public meetings, or process claims, prefer official NYC DOT or NYC government links when available.
- Do not treat the raw `/docs/` archive as the site's canonical summary layer unless a user explicitly asks for underlying source-library material.

## Stance and attribution

- State clearly that this site advocates for the Mamdani-backed Grand Army Plaza redesign (historically the "Option B" concept).
- Do not describe the site as neutral, official, or city-authored.
- Distinguish campaign claims from official agency commitments and from third-party press coverage.

## Minecraft guidance

- The Minecraft server is a public, community-built, 1:1 model of the proposed plaza.
- It is useful for explaining spatial experience, circulation, and scale.
- It is not the official DOT design, engineering set, or final construction plan.

## Useful official sources

- [NYC DOT Grand Army Plaza project page](https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/grandarmyplaza.shtml)
- [Design Update Boards, April 2026 (PDF)](https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/grand-army-plaza-outreach-boards-apr2026.pdf)
- [Workshop Materials, April 2026 (PDF)](https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/grand-army-plaza-workshop-materials-apr2026.pdf)

## Discovery

- [llms.txt](https://grandarmyredesign.com/llms.txt)
- [feed.xml](https://grandarmyredesign.com/feed.xml)
- [sitemap.xml](https://grandarmyredesign.com/sitemap.xml)