The High Line – A Unique Urban Experience

A couple extra hours in NYC last week allowed me the opportunity to check out The High Line, an urban rail turned park. Originally constructed in the 1930’s to rid Manhattan streets from traffic jamming freight, and provide direct building to building access for cargo, this was a huge infrastructure project for NYC at the time. “Originally 13 miles long, it eliminated 105 street-level railroad crossings, added 32 acres to Riverside Park, and cost over $150 Million in 1930 dollars, more than $2 Billion in today’s dollars.” (www.highline.org).

However, as with everything in American cities over the last century, the needs and demands of residents and businesses have changed. Now an incredibly dense NYC, lessening warehouse and manufacturing in the area, and the needs of the incoming residential population that is taking a hold in these neighborhoods, it was time to see this redeveloped or demolished. A portion of the rail line had been demolished in the 1960’s, and the last train making its run in 1980, so advocates started to focus on making it a public park in 1999. With a lot of efforts and prodding, a design competition and process was started in 2003, with a 2006 construction start. Finally, in 2009, a public opening of the park that so many have come to admire, including the development of the modern Standard Hotel NYC (www.standardhotels.com). Now it is an incredible site, with the new mile and a half long park running through West Side neighborhoods, Meatpacking District, Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. The designers are James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.