The High Line is a lovely site, about a beautiful bit of urban fabric - a disused elevated rail structure on the West Side of Manhattan.
"The High Line runs for 1.5 miles, from 34th Street, along the edge of the Hudson River, through West Chelsea's tree-lined blocks and art galleries, into the heart of the Meat Packing District. Friends of the High Line believes this neglected landmark offers New Yorkers the opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind recreational amenity: a grand, public promenade that can be enjoyed by all residents and visitors in New York City and at the same time preserve the industrial heritage of the neighborhoods."Site includes some stunning photographs by Joel Sternfeld and montages by Jonathan Flaum. Plus complex, interesting Flash presentation by Keller Easterling.
A Conditional Demolition Order was ordered in 1992, but people are fighting back, hoping to make something akin to the Promenade Plantée in Paris. If you're in or near NYC, get involved.
[via Peter Marsh - thanks!]
I once climbed out the back of Shoreditch Town Hall onto the disused Broad Street to Dalston line on the edges of the City of London. It's a similar space (photos here - scroll down), though less hemmed in that the High Line, reflecting London's flatter topography. A very surreal experience, wandering around an elevated grassed space in the middle of London's chaos. Often thought they should be opened up as the "public promenades" mentioned above (it's almost like approaching the Emerald City, looking up at the City from that angle), floating above the grime and traffic of central London at street level, and you can see why elevated walkways were so popular amongst post-War planners (I noticed that Hong Kong has a network of covered pedestrian walkways - from a recent exhibition at RIBA). But now those tracks are being redeveloped anyway.
