Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Wednesday 30 May 2018

Cities around the world seek to emulate NYC's elevated park

By MARY ESCH
Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The
success of New York City's
elevated park, the High
Line, has inspired a slew of
projects across the United
States and internationally
that repurpose rusting rib-
bons of steel and concrete
as green space in hopes
of rejuvenating neighbor-
hoods or reclaiming over-
built riverfronts.
Philadelphia, Chicago,
Miami, London and New
York's capital of Albany are
among the cities with High
Line-style projects com-
pleted or in the planning
stages. All seek to capture
at least some of the popu-
larity of the 23-block-long
railroad viaduct in lower
Manhattan planted with
trees, shrubs and flowers
that attracts more than
five million visitors a year
and has spurred $4 billion in In this Sept. 8, 2017 file photo, the High Line elevated park is seen running under the Standard Hotel in New York's Meatpacking
surrounding development District.
since it opened in 2009. Associated Press
"Communities all over the
country are recycling all Cormer Field Operations, learned and ways to fund- The Albany Skyway plans a boost to the project in
kinds of abandoned or un- which developed Man- raise to support program- call for taking an existing March in announcing a
needed infrastructure," said hattan's High Line. London ming," said Sarah Reginelli, highway ramp that has $3.1 million state grant. The
Ed McMahon, a senior fel- has the Camden Highline, president of Capitalize Al- connections to the river- money is for final engineer-
low at the Urban Land In- a planned park on a half- bany, a nonprofit econom- front park and a down- ing and initial construction,
stitute in Washington, D.C. mile strip of disused railway. ic development organiza- town area in the midst of slated to begin by late 2019
"We're recycling aban- In Washington, D.C., an tion. "But it's a very different redevelopment, closing it and be finished in 2020. To-
doned rail lines, canals, util- old freeway bridge is be- project, not only in size and to traffic and landscaping tal cost estimates range
ity corridors, parking lots, ing transformed into a park scope, but also because it it as a half-mile-long aerial from $5 million to $12 mil-
roofs of buildings, airports connecting Capitol Hill with serves the critical function promenade with trees, gar- lion, depending on design.
— even decking over free- communities east of the of connecting downtown dens, seating areas and "It's going to be a criti-
ways." Anacostia River. with the riverfront." space for art installations, cal element for the city, a
The first section of a park And in Albany, the pro- Albany residents and of- food vendors and events place people will want to
on the old Reading Via- posed Skyway seeks to ficials have long lamented ranging from farmers mar- come to," said Jonathan
duct in Philadelphia opens transform a half-mile-long the inaccessibility of the kets to music festivals. City Brust, who lives nearby and
next month. Chicago's el- unneeded highway ramp Hudson River waterfront officials see it as a desti- looks forward to extending
evated Bloomingdale Trail into a landscaped prom- to the city's downtown. nation in itself as well as a his daily walks to the river-
on an abandoned rail line enade linking downtown Standing as a major bar- route for walkers and bicy- front. "But we also need to
opened in 2015. In Miami, to the Hudson River water- rier is multi-laned Interstate clists between downtown find ways for it to pay for
the Underline will transform front park. 787, which borders the river and the network of river- itself, like renting space for
land beneath the Metrorail "We'll be looking to the and carries 80,000 cars and front trails. pop-up events and farmers
into a 10-mile-long linear High Line for some design trucks a day. Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave markets."q
park designed by James ideas, landscaping lessons A recent Albany waterfront
corridor study considered
several solutions includ-
ing burying the highway
or decking over it. Several
cities have done just that.
One of the most success-
ful is Dallas' 5-acre Klyde
Warren Park built over the
Woodall Rogers Freeway,
opened in 2012. It con-
nects the flourishing down-
town arts district to other
neighborhoods.
"This project isn't a big- This 2018 artist rendering provided by Stantec shows trees and
In this March 16, 2015 file photo, grass grows on the Reading ticket item like that, but it's canopies in an unused highway ramp that feeds into a water-
front park to create the proposed Albany Skyway in Albany,
Railroad viaduct in Philadelphia. a solution to what's a very N.Y.
Associated Press challenging issue for many Associated Press
cities," Reginelli said.