Artist：James Corner Field Operations (Project Lead), Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and
planting designer Piet Oudolf
Date：2009~2011
Location：Manhattan's West Side NYC, NY, USA
Media/Type：Urban Design
Commissioner：City of New York, Friends of the High Line
Researcher：Meena Mangalvedhekar
The High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. From the day the first section of the High Line opened in June 2009, it has been one of the city's major tourist attractions.
The public space blends plant life with long, narrow "planks," forming a smooth, linear, virtually seamless walking surface. The public environment on the High Line contains special features, including a water feature, viewing platforms, a sundeck, and gathering areas to be used for performances, art exhibitions and educational programmes. The High Line is inherently a green structure: re-purposing a piece of industrial infrastructure as public green space. Porous pathways contain open joints, so water can drain between planks and water adjacent planting beds, cutting down on the amount of storm-water than runs off the site into the sewer system.
Walking on the High Line is unlike any other experience in New York. The High Line is a monument to the industrial history of New York's West Side. It offers an opportunity to create an innovative new public space and it also offers a hopeful model for industrial repurposing for other cities around the world. |
