New York City's High Line, a park on a deserted elevated rail line, succeeded with the public and nearby real estate developers and inspired park projects all over the world. It seems that each month, there is a city planning for its version of High Line. Some projects are a knock off of it, such as Singapore's plan for transforming at-grade railway to a series of public spaces so it is not high at all. Another example is Washington's plans for a bridge park over the Potomac River, which is a new construction rather than recycling old infrastructure. As the comparisons are stretching, "High Line" is becoming urban planners' term for a "linear park." Most of them commonly want to cure wounds on a city's urban fabric made by highways, railways or social segregation.
Four recent examples are from different continents. Seoul is turning a vehicle overpass into elevated park instead of demolishing to preserve historical marker for Korea's industrial age and reconnect areas to decrease travel time. Tel Aviv is planning a park on top of Ayalon Highway to reduce noise and air pollution, create easier access and provide leisure facilities and bicycle and pedestrian routes, creating job opportunities. Rome is creating exhibition space under a viaduct left unfinished, where garbage piled to socially activate the space. Philadelphia plans to transform unused Reading viaduct to an elevated park instead of twice as costly demolition to revive the area. High Line deserves the credit for its success in fulfilling its purpose of transforming socially dead areas to active areas and inspiring sustainability all over the world.
Resources:
http://cityminded.org/inspired-by-new-yorks-high-line-if-not-always-copying-it-15251
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