NYC High Line Park

[chrism4549]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15208873

Here's the park's website.

http://www.thehighline.org/

Very clever. It's makes good use of existing space, gets people to walk through the neighborhood. My guess is it might have been more cost-effective than tearing the old structure down. That part of the city has been undergoing a lot of regentrification over the years.

[kipp]

Yes this is very cool. There's a great video about this on TED.

http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_hammond ... e_sky.html

[Norman]

That is brilliant, great use of existing infrastucture to improve life and connectivity in the city.

[Omicron]

It's a great idea. I love that they've made it a bit wild, and that the tracks have been left as a reminder of its history.

[jk1237]

I had the pleasure of walking the entire length of this about 6 weeks ago. I was just amazed how something so simple was so fantastic. Very unique and the plants and lawn were growing so well to. Aparently it was going to be torn down but local activists (who had already started growing plants and stuff for a few years) blocked it. Now its a prized tourist attraction, and new ultra modern apartment towers are being built around it. They're currently working on stage 3 to get it further up Manhattan towards the Hells kitchen district

[Aidan]

As a park it is good, but constructing it was a wasted opportunity, as it would have been an excellent (and cheap to construct) route for passenger trains to areas not well served by the Subway. There was a plan to link it up with a new tunnel under the Hudson to NJ, but the decision to convert it to a park killed that off completely.

[Nathan]

As a park it is good, but constructing it was a wasted opportunity, as it would have been an excellent (and cheap to construct) route for passenger trains to areas not well served by the Subway. There was a plan to link it up with a new tunnel under the Hudson to NJ, but the decision to convert it to a park killed that off completely.

What plan? There was one enthusiast in the 80s who tried to challenge the demolition in court and have rail services re-established, but that was it. Before the plan for the park, what remained of the line was slated for demolition.

[Aidan]

As a park it is good, but constructing it was a wasted opportunity, as it would have been an excellent (and cheap to construct) route for passenger trains to areas not well served by the Subway. There was a plan to link it up with a new tunnel under the Hudson to NJ, but the decision to convert it to a park killed that off completely.

What plan? There was one enthusiast in the 80s who tried to challenge the demolition in court and have rail services re-established, but that was it. Before the plan for the park, what remained of the line was slated for demolition.

No, I think it's a very early 21st century plan - or late 1990s at the earliest.

I'm going by what the head of New Jersey Transit, who was one of the leading proponents, said while he was in London. Unfortunately he was replaced soon afterwards when the Democrats won the NJ gubernatorial election.

[jk1237]

it was a former freight train line only, and it runs north south, why would you need another line to New Jersey (considering its west of Manhattan) using a line that goes south into Manhattan

[chrism4549]

The A,C,E and 1,2 subway routes are 2 blocks east. And the NJ PATH goes to 23rd and 7th not too far away. I think there is already reasonable public transit nearby. And yes, it was an abandoned freight line so you would have had to re-do it anyway to make it the same kind of infrastructure to run the same kind of trains for commuters, I believe. And put in stops and all that stuff.

[Aidan]

The A,C,E and 1,2 subway routes are 2 blocks east.

AIUI 2 blocks isn't particularly close by NYC Subway standards.

And the NJ PATH goes to 23rd and 7th not too far away. I think there is already reasonable public transit nearby.

They recognised the need for more connectivity, as it would've given much more of Manhattan direct services to NJ than PATH does. They also recognised the long term need for more capacity.

And yes, it was an abandoned freight line so you would have had to re-do it anyway to make it the same kind of infrastructure to run the same kind of trains for commuters, I believe. And put in stops and all that stuff.

Of course. It was at the end of its usefulness as a freight line, but there was the opportunity to convert it to a passenger line.
Instead they decided to convert it to a park.

[mattblack]

This is not a new idea. Recently returned from Paris where they have incorporated such a disused elevated trainline in the 'Promenade Plantée' since 1993.

Some you tube video here.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... 30l2-1l1l0

[chrism4549]

I got back last week and enjoyed my time there. The park was great. Tons of shops and really nice (and expensive) apartment buildings along the route that are connected to it. The last time I was down in that area was maybe 10 years ago and it was...not nice. Amazing re-gentrification of the area.