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How two New Yorkers led the transformation of a derelict elevated railway into a grand--and beloved--open space

The High Line, a new park atop an ele-vated rail structure on Manhattan's West Side, is among the most innovative urban reclamation projects in memory. The story of how it came to be is a remarkable one: two young citizens with no prior experience in planning and development collaborated with their neighbors, elected officials, artists, local business owners, and leaders of burgeoning movements in horticulture and landscape architecture to create a park celebrated worldwide as a model for creatively designed, socially vibrant, ecologically sound public space.

Joshua David and Robert Hammond met in 1999 at a community board meeting to consider the fate of the High Line. Built in the 1930s, it carried freight trains to the West Side when the area was defined by factories and warehouses. But when trains were replaced by truck transport, the High Line became obsolete. By century's end it was a rusty, forbidding ruin. Plants grew between the tracks, giving it a wild and striking beauty.

David and Hammond loved the ruin and saw in it an opportunity to create a new way to experience their city. Over ten years, they did so. In this candid and inspiring book-- lavishly illustrated--they tell how they relied on skill, luck, and good timing: a crucial court ruling, an inspiring design contest, the enthusiasm of Mayor Bloomberg, the concern for urban planning issues following 9/11. Now the High Line--a half-mile expanse of plants, paths, staircases, and framed vistas--runs through a transformed West Side and reminds us that extraordinary things are possible when creative people work together for the common good.

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Library Journal Review

A behind-the-scenes look at the movement to save the elevated rail structure on New York City's West Side and its conversion into the popular park, this book alternates between text by David and Hammond (cofounders, Friends of the High Line) and photographs illustrating the park's past and present. The authors met at a 1999 community board meeting; they had little experience with community organization, development, or design but a large passion for the onetime busy freight transit system dating to the 1930s. Their story of the next decade's ups and downs will appeal to those in historic preservation, landscape architecture, and development, but it will also find a wider audience among the park's many fans. Readers looking for more on the design and plantings will also want to check out Designing the High Line, edited by the Friends of the High Line. VERDICT A well-deserved celebration of the successful efforts to create the park and a surprisingly good read. Armchair visits are easily achieved courtesy of the wealth of images, e.g., Joel Sternfeld's photographs and Friends of the High Line mailings, which have played important parts in the ongoing saga of the High Line.-Amy Trendler, Ball State Univ. Libs., Muncie, IN (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Manhattan's High Line, a half-mile park located on an abandoned elevated rail line running along the city's West Side, is a remarkable example of urban planning. More amazing is the fact that the endeavor was shepherded by two citizens with zero experience in navigating the rabbit warrens of committees, permits, organizations, and city departments that would have to sign off on the planned renovation, not to mention finding funding. Here, project leaders David and Hammond (winners of the 2010 Jane Jacobs Medal) share their long, challenging experience in urban renewal. Written in alternating anecdotes, the duo trace their path from the neighborhood meeting that spurred them to action all the way through incorporation, legal hurdles, and celebrity endorsements that helped raise awareness and funds. While the duo's commitment and drive is certainly laudable, it's the material around their narrative that will interest readers most: a timeline of key dates in the High Line's history and over 180 photos of the evolution of the High Line from its state of disrepair to its vibrant present. Curious New Yorkers and armchair urban planners will find a number of takeaways in terms of logistics, planning, and managing a non-profit. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Joshua David and Robert Hammond cofounded Friends of the High Line in 1999. David has written for Gourmet , Fortune , Travel + Leisure , Wallpaper , and other magazines. Hammond was awarded a Rome Prize by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2009. In 2010 they were awarded the Jane Jacobs Medal for their work on the High Line.