12 INGENIOUS ELEVATED RAILWAY AND ROOFTOP PARKS

Leisure in the Sky: 12 Elevated Railway + Rooftop Parks
By Steph, Web Urbanist, 2 September 2013.

In cities where highways and high-rises have taken up virtually every square foot of real estate there is to be had, lush parks, pedestrian walkways and bike paths can be hard to come by. That’s why, in many cities, supporters of public green space are starting to look up, and they’re reclaiming and rehabilitating abandoned infrastructure in the process. New York City’s The High Line has inspired cities across the world to consider disused railways and viaducts as elevated parks, and rooftop recreation spots are increasing in popularity, too.

1. The High Line, New York City, USA

A rail track that was decommissioned in 1980, standing in disrepair as an eyesore for decades, is now one of New York City’s most popular attractions after its transformation into an elevated park. The High Line is a one-mile section of the former New York Central Railroad spur called The West Side, running along the lower west side of Manhattan, offering views of the city and the Hudson River along with walkways, naturalist plantings, and spots to rest. Its revitalization has spurred development in neighbourhoods that lie alongside it.

2. Namba Parks, Osaka, Japan

Eight levels of sloping parks full of trees, cliffs, boulders, lawns, streams, waterfalls and outdoor terraces gradually wind up the rooftop of a lifestyle centre adjacent to a 30-story tower in Osaka, Japan. Namba Parks provides greenery and recreation space in a city full of concrete, where nature can be difficult to access. Spaces carved from this rooftop space down to the bottom level of the building create artificial ‘canyons’ for natural lighting.

3. Promenade Plantee, Paris, France

Promenade Plantee is the elevated park that started it all, predating the High Line by nearly twenty years. It was built along Paris’ elevated Viaduct des Arts, which supported the Vincennes Railway from 1859 to 1969. The arcades under the viaduct were converted into art galleries and artisan workshops.

4. QueensWay Park on the Long Island Railroad, New York, USA

The QueensWay project has been a controversial proposal, because although additional public green space would be a great thing for the residents of the Queens borough of New York City, many people feel that restoring the rail line to underserved areas would be even more beneficial. Nonetheless, the plan is moving forward, with a 3.5-mile section of decommissioned railway set to become a park.

5. Telok Blangah Hill Park, Singapore

City dwellers in Singapore can not only access an elevated trail from which to catch a new view of urban sights, but take it right into the forests that lie just outside all of that urbanity. Telok Blangah Hill Park features an undulating steel bridge suspended high above the ground, along with other elevated walkways, like a treetop walk.

6. Bloomingdale Trail, Chicago, USA

Running 2.7 miles through four northwest side Chicago neighbourhoods, an unused elevated rail line will soon become Bloomingdale Trail and Park, also known as the 606. Its location alongside these diverse and vibrant communities will bring nature, bike paths, walking trails and other recreational opportunities to a large percentage of the city’s urban population. Ground was broken in late August 2013.

7. Reading Viaduct Park, Philadelphia, USA

A spur of the Reading Viaduct running through a section of Philadelphia is set to become an elevated park with lots of trees, seating, swings and an outdoor classroom. It will take up a section of the viaduct measuring less than a quarter of a mile long, just minutes from Centre City.

8. Train Track Park, Jerusalem

Another project inspired by The High Line is Jerusalem’s Train Track Park, revitalizing a historic railway between two neighbourhoods that are otherwise disconnected, providing another link in a ring of new parks being constructed throughout the city. Currently, entire neighbourhoods have no access to parks at all. The trails and tracks will be preserved as a major design element, along with other original railway installations like signs and poles. See renderings at Haaretz.

9. Rolling Rooftop Playground and Park, Copenhagen, Denmark

Created for the residents of a co-op along with their neighbours, this rolling elevated park and playground was placed on top of a turn-of-the-century building in Copenhagen’s densely populated multi-ethnic district of Nørrebro. The available ground space in this area tends to be too cramped for other types of parks, so JDS Architects chose to place a ‘missing garden’ complete with kids’ play equipment on an available rooftop.

10. The Hills Elevated Park on Governor’s Island, New York, USA

Made of recycled construction and fill materials, The Hills on Governor’s Island just off Manhattan will be elevated in a different way than most of these other parks. All of that filler will raise the park 25-80 feet above sea level, providing visitors with panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, the Lower Manhattan skyline and the New York Harbour. Governor’s Island is a 172-acre island that was historically used for defensive purposes, and it’s now a national landmark. It’s accessible by free ferries from Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Hills are expected to open in spring 2015.

11. Proposed High Line for Mexico City

An elevated pathway running above and between highways and roads in Mexico City aims to send a message that “the walker has the same dignity as a vehicle.” The city’s inspired take on The High Line will feature regional plants, bike paths and pedestrian walkways, becoming a primary circulation option for pedestrians traveling from a metro stop to Chapultepec Forest, the largest city park in Latin America.

12. The Trestle Elevated Park, St. Louis, USA

A mile and a half of abandoned railway in St. Louis, Missouri known as The Trestle will become an elevated park connecting with the Riverfront Trail and McKinley Bridge Bikeway, crossing over interstates and Produce Row, the city’s fruit and vegetable wholesale district. Solar panels will power lighting, and rainwater catchment systems will be used to irrigate the greenway’s plants and community garden.

[Source: Web Urbanist. Edited.]

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