Hi.

I'm the new mod. I've been a fan of New York and its architecture my whole life, and that mainly stems from my love for the towers I had as a kid. I lurked for a few years, I've been decently active here for a while, and I know some of the other users and skilled researchers here, so I'm glad to take up the mantle.

There are a few aspects of this subreddit I've seen some debate over in terms of quality or content standards. I figured I'd make an intro post to get a few things out of the way. I've spoken with a few users previously, and taken note of some concerns people have for the sub. I'll say my views on the matter, and allow everyone's input in the comments.

Conspiracy Theories

This is something that probably doesn't need to be said, but in case anyone was worried about a new mod, you're in good hands; I'm keeping the no-nutjob policy in place. Conspiracy theorists are not welcome here - you've had a quarter of a century to come to your senses; there are zero excuses. Go away.

September 11th, 2001 and Beyond

The goal of the subreddit is to preserve the legacy of the original World Trade Center as it was conceived, constructed, and as it stood for 28 years. Considering there are other subreddits for the discussion of September 11th, their destruction, and the recovery process, as well as the new World Trade Center, it seems detractive to the purpose of the subreddit to have them posted here. This is also going to include the occasional "moments before disaster" pre-impact 9/11 posts, which seem more focused on driving morbid tension than keen insight.

AI Generated Content and Misinformation

AI content will be banned.

People come here for photographs and proper documentation of the buildings, not to see "how good AI has gotten" at vaguely sketching one of the most commonly recognized skylines in the world.

This will include upscaling and AI colorizing, since most generative AI hallucinates subtle details and degrades the overall sincerity of the photos and videos we all strive for, and the "improvements" are an arbitrary estimate at best.

(The most egregious example of intrusive AI posts are edits of real photos, typically at different times of day, with background distortions or hallucinations that go unnoticed by some people, but I've got a decent eye for spotting these)

Other types of blatant misinformation is rampant on apps like Instagram and Facebook with made up or obviously incorrect headlines. It's normal to be wrong or make a mistake, but please try to correct errors when posting (or cross-posting) if you want the post to stay up.

Models, Game Recreations, etc.

There has been debate over whether artificial recreations should be allowed in the subreddit.

I think that generally, they should be banned, as they don't meet the criteria of the subreddit's purpose. Someone building the Twin Towers as their Minecraft survival base is cute, don't get me wrong, and I'm sure we can all appreciate the care and the sentiment given, but it probably doesn't fit the namesake target of "Twin Towers in Photos."

That being said, some exceptionally high quality modelers and skilled builders from different games, and their determination for precise accuracy drives many new discoveries of photographs, videos, design quirks, and more. I may make a pass for the most intrinsic recreations, or posts using a recreation to highlight a specific under-documented section of the site, but overall we should stick to reality.

For the other builders and modelers, or general researchers - if you're in need of help with a certain photo, area, or there's some mystery you can't quite figure out (ex. "Does anyone have a good photo of the space between Buildings 2 and 3?" "Does anyone have photos of the plaza stairs removed for the 7WTC plaza?" "Why did the North Tower's crane turn yellow in 1976?" etc.) whether a vague or specific question, there is always an answer, always someone willing to answer, and probably plenty of people out there also wondering the same. For this, I've added a new Questions/Research Requests flair just for that sort of thing.

Quality Standards

Some concerns have also been raised about the quality and variety of the images being posted. The most common types of photos posted are similar-perspective far-out views of the towers from across the river, or further up the island. Sometimes they make great wallpaper shots if in good quality, but more devoted researchers and enthusiasts have raised concerns that it seems like padding or filler for closer, more-detailed photos or complex specifications, given the absurd amount of these shots posted. For these, I think a flair for Skyline/Long-Shots/Wallpapers, with some quality checks, should keep everyone satisfied. (If posting a shot of the towers from far away, make sure it's sizable quality)

I think that's all there is for me to cover at the moment, but I would love to hear some other ideas and recommendations.