The High Line Park, which is being designed by Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, is appearing out of abandoned railroad tracks in lower Manhattan. Built in the early 1930′s, The High Line is a former elevated railroad track that was largely used to move freight. The railroad track, until recently, was filled with weeds, and largely inacessible. The Southern end of the park is expected to open in 2009, but some parts are already working.
With the transformation of the High Line into a park, new development, including hotels and apartment buildings, has sprung up around its path from Gansevoort Street in the Meat Packing district to the Javits Center on 34th street. The USD 170 million park project has had a significant multiplier effect. According to a recent article by The New York Times, there has been some USD 4 billion of new investment alongside the park’s path to date. 1.5 million square feet is under development around the park, and an additional 2.5 million is planned.
The High Line has been used as an example of the commercial value of innovative landscape architecture, and this appears to still be true in an economic downturn. While some developers working on projects near the park scale back or delay plans, the co-founder of the Friends of the Highline, the community group which argued for the park, was quoted as saying: ““We’re in this for the long term” and the High Line “is a real bright spot.”
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Go to Field Operation’s page on the High Line
