We visited The High Line on the same day as Central Park and between them these two parks gave an interesting snap shot of the history of public parks in New York.
Central Park earmarked a large parcel of land in the centre of Manhatten for the purpose of civic recreation and it was an astute and foresighted move that guaranteed green space within the urban environment.
Today, such parcels of undeveloped land are inconceivable within major cities so alternative green spaces are being developed and few have attracted such attention as The High Line.
It's story is well known but worth telling again as it's an important one: local residents fought to save the abandoned structure of an elevated freight railway line that carried goods from the port to the factories. Residents saw not only its architectural significance but also recognised the beauty of the pioneer vegetation that had settled there. This wild garden offered relief from the city - it attracted wildlife and was a place to escape to.
The residents formed The Friends of the High Line and spent enormous amounts of time and energy campaigning and fundraising. The result of all their hard work is the park we have today - a 2 mile long green corridor with loose stylised naturalistic planting by Piet Oudulf offset against crisp and unobtrusive hard landscaping visited by over 6 million people last year.
The pressure to develop in this area is intense and we saw evidence of this on our visit with skyscrapers sprouting up along much of the length of the park.
The pressure to develop in this area is intense and we saw evidence of this on our visit with skyscrapers sprouting up along much of the length of the park.
The park recently secured and opened a third and final section of the park to visitors. This last section showcases the natural vegetation that inspired the whole project and was a fascinating insight into the inspiration for the whole project.
Thanks to a Tom Smarr for taking the time out to show us this amazing park.
Robert Bradshaw, New York, 13/05/2015