A previously abandoned and derelict railway running between West 20th and West 30th in New York, has recently been given a makeover by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and planting designer Piet Oudolf. The 1.5 mile long elevated park winds its way from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street, connecting the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Midtown West. This is the second phase of the work to the High Line, with the first being coined ‘architect’s row’, after attracting new buildings by the likes of Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel. The original railway, constructed in the 1930s, was used to lift dangerous freight trains off the street, but was left unused and wasted since 1980.
The regeneration of the High Line has created a urban garden and skywalk with stretches of grass, art installations and seated platforms. “Inspired by the melancholic, unruly beauty of this postindustrial ruin, where nature has reclaimed a once vital piece of urban infrastructure, the new park interprets its inheritance.” The elevated park forms a green pathway, which weaves through the industrial cityscape of New York’s red brick buildings and glass skyscrapers.
Images: Wallpaper
