An unusual 1.45 miles long elevated railway spanned 22 city blocks along the West side of Manhattan. Its construction started in 1930 to address the huge congestion of the 10th Street. Along the Hudson River, the railway goes through some buildings and directly serves warehouses. Decommissioned in 1980, the line becomes an industrial wasteland invaded by weeds. The destruction seemed inevitable. But in 1999, the association "Friends of the High Line" saved the structure from demolition and made plans to redesign a suspended urban park and in 2004, obtained funding from the city.

The winning design team selected after an international competition wanted to create a mixture between the original structure and the modern additions to better integrate this historic line to the city. By changing the rules between plant life and pedestrians needs, the strategy is to preserve the character of The High Line. Despite the desolate state of the surface, the base of the line is healthy: the riveted steel structure is then cleaned, repaired and repainted; the tracks and the old concrete slabs are dismantled. To allow access to the public, the design team creates many stairs, ramps and elevators at regular intervals. Besides planting areas, benches, tables and terraces are found everywhere. A glazed gazebo overlooks the intersection of 10th Avenue and 17th Street.

So the project establishes an urban corridor for habitat, wildlife and people. Through a strategy of “agri-tecture” – part agriculture, part architecture – the High Line surface is digitized into discrete paving and planting units with a variety of gradations going from mineral to vegetal. The paving system consists of individual prefabricated concrete planks with open joints to facilitate the growing of wild grass through the cracks in the footpathes. The result is a landscape where the public can wander freely. Two years after opening the first sector, the new Section 2 will double the size of the public park and greatly increase opportunities for artists to work in situ. The High Line becomes both an escape from the swarming streets and a gateway to the city.

Pictures © James Corner Field Operations with Diller-Scofidio + Renfro

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