Imagine traveling back in time to the 1930s. You are transported to New York City and stand in a busy and bustling area looking up at a railroad built two stories above ground. Trains roar in the sky, carrying supplies over city blocks instead of taking up space on the sidewalk.
Now, fast forward fifty years to 1980. Trains that carried goods in and out of cities are replaced with trucks. The New York City project once known as the Westside Improvement Project, or “the Highline,” (what you had seen 50 years earlier) is obsolete. The last train makes a delivery of turkey to delis in New York, and then developers, railroad enthusiasts, property owners, and two men with a vision for a public park begin to lobby over what should be done with the “useless” High Line.
This is just the beginning of the story of how a location that could have been demolished was transformed into one of New York City’s main attractions. It took over 15 years, but through Friends of the High Line, the old railroad tracks were turned into a sustainable park free for the public. In 2012, 3.7 million people walked the High Line.
The High Line is not the only innovative project creating more park space for people. Here are a few others you might not know about.
The Lowline—the world’s first underground park
Probably got it’s name from the High Line—this project is also in New York City but it might not sound as appealing compared to the solitude and crisp air New Yorkers can get walking the High Line right off the bat. However, the Lowline is just as ambitious and determined to turn an abandoned subway track into an enjoyable public park.
The Lowline, aka the world’s first underground park, will be located on the Lower East Side in New York City. Hmm could there be room for a possible east-side-west-side park battle? Probably not. This project will merely provide more beautiful space in an often cramped and crowded city. And the Lowline will use solar technology to do it.
The solar technology proposed and designed by James Ramsey of Raad Studio will not only filter real sunlight to enter the park space but will create a “remote skylight” and actually allow plants and trees to grow in the park. For more details on this design check out the Lowline projects designs here.
Built on old subway tracks (which have not been used since 1948!) this project makes me wonder how much urban space is actually vacant and waiting to be repurposed.
The only downside of this project...waiting until the park opens in 2020.
Proposal for public pool in Paris
While the High Line is currently open and running (or being used by runners), and the Lowline project is getting close, creatives in Paris proposed plans to turn ghost town metro tracks into some wilder venues. #ParisIsAboutLife and nobody can stop Parisians from dreaming, especially when it comes to innovative ideas to improve abandoned city spaces.
One woman, Nathalie Koziuscot-Morizet wants to transform old metro tunnels into a gorgeous public pool. Others in a competition for innovative ideas on repurposing abandoned metro stations suggested ideas ranging from a theatre to a nightclub, and even a posh restaurant. Photos for these proposals can be found here.
Paris has eight abandoned metro stations, some of which have not been used since 1934. I’m sure New York and cities around the world have just as many if not more.
Projects such as these show that repurposing abandoned spaces is possible. As more and more people around the world move to urban environments, creating parks out of old train tracks and metro stations is a fantastic way to create more green space in cities in a sustainable way.
If you support sustainable spaces similar to these projects, let your voice be heard by going to TAKE ACTION NOW.