Life on the High Line

We had a late afternoon walk on the high line last saturday. Amazing how this place is functioning. The design by 'field operations' with 'diller, scofilio and renfro' was well chosen in the 2003 high line competition.
People apparently love the high line park and fill it with life. I can understand why. This place is made for some basic human desires: to promenade, to view others, to be viewed, to observe and feel the urban fabric on eye-level, to safely look down onto the elsewhere overpowering traffic.
We mounted the high line at 20th street walking southbound all the way to 14th street. The order of the pictures follows this path.

View into the not yet opened second section sceduled to be accessible starting mid 2011.
Promenade, talk, observe.....urbanize yourself along the 'Chelsea grasslands' between 19th and 18th street.

Flooring details are based on the historical railways. Design ready to be read.

Benches flowing from the ground. Pittoresque urban situations arise along the high line due to the mix of levels, the background of the urban fabric, the vegetation and, for sure, the actors on the high line.

The '10th avenue square', a theatrical window into urban traffic flows, to be experienced in (relative) silence.
As a typology, the high line is bringing the skywalk to a new level of higher quality. Please, urban planners worldwide, learn from this example! A longitudinal elevated park can as well be designed as element of new urban developments!

Venice-like situation with streets as canals and post-industrial bridges of sighs.

People watching a fashion show of the NYC fashion week happening in the Standard hotel.

Planting design was done by Piet Oudolf, who nicely blended spontaneous vegetation and prairie species.

Love your city, love your high line park, love each other!

1 comment:

Lisa said...

I love this park - so well done!