Architecture Meets ... the High Line

Possibly one of the most ambitious redapt/reuse urban renewal projects could only take place in a city like New York. Steeped in architectural and design history, New York has had to face the distinct challenge of figuring out how to incorporate historical structures with modern planning, making the four hundred year old metropolis a 21st century space. Of course, it has already succeeded in so many aspects, becoming the center of all that is trendy and hip.

The High Line, as its initial use as an elevated freight line along the Lower West Side, can be seen in various incarnations in many cities. Old railroad tracks skate their way through large metros like Philadelphia , Chicago and Detroit and have mostly been left abandoned to succumb to decay and graffiti. New Yorkers, with already such limited space, knew that the High Line held the potential to become more. So in 1999, a non profit started by residents around the Line began to advocate for the conversion of the 1.5 mile tract into a public park and space. By 2004, the city had pledged nearly $50 mill to the conversion project. Now, nearly a decade later, the High Line has become a model for all other American cities with similar plights. Taking inspiration from Paris' Promenade Plantee, the park has spurred development all around it, and offers one of the best walking tours of New York architecture along its rails.

Firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro spearheaded the redesign, which was based on a series of conditions that different parts of the line experienced throughout the day - shady, wet, dry, sunny, windy, sheleterd. Pre cast concrete and wooden planks create the walking paths and sitting/social spaces while wild grasses and unique biotopes are scattered throughout in planting beds. The designers sought to reflect urban life to a T in the park - combining the wild and uncultivated with the intimate and unexpected. The space offers a retreat from the city while still keeping all the spontaneity of New York in its layout. One can become a seasoned voyeur in the retreat of one of the parks observing decks, witnessing the bustling life down below without ever having to interact yourself. In a city like New York, sometimes your really do have no choice but to go up.