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Parks in the Sky

Started by catty, October 12, 2012, 09:53:07 AM

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catty


Something that is proving very popular and you may see coming to a city near you is the High Line Park, its proved so popular with people that

QuoteIn Shoreditch, east London, the idea of building a new park on top of the old railway arches at the Bishopsgate Goods Yard, abandoned since the mid 1960s, is being considered.

QuoteChicago is proposing to redevelop 2.7 miles (4.3 km) of disused elevated railway line into the Bloomingdale Trail.

QuoteIts fellow US city Philadelphia is looking at transforming the Reading Viaduct into an elevated linear park.

QuoteAnd in Rotterdam, Netherlands, another old elevated track is being considered as a site for a park and shops.

The High Line itself echoes Paris' Promenade Plantee, inaugurated in 1993.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promenade_Plant%C3%A9e

Some Pictures and Links to the High Line



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19872874

http://www.thehighline.org/





http://inhabitat.com/new-yorks-high-line-park-in-the-sky-opens-today/

-catty
I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" DEATH thought about it. "CATS," he said eventually, "CATS ARE NICE.

RickD

Well, I guess this is the second best use for the viaducts. I would prefer trains on them, though.  ;)
My name is Raphael.
Visit my MD: Empire Bay (My old MD: Santa Barbara County)

Swordmaster

Quote from: RickD on October 15, 2012, 02:47:13 AM
Well, I guess this is the second best use for the viaducts. I would prefer trains on them, though.  ;)

Yes, nothing rules more than heavy rail in city centers - more for the folks driving on them than those living near them, though. That's the price of regeneration, I guess.

Cheers
Willy

noahclem

Pretty unique and interesting redevelopment project. It would certainly be interesting to see the idea adapted to SC4....

catty

You certainly have a point about whether it would work anywhere else, in New Zealand the old rail corridor's are being converted to walking and biking tracks, in Wellington part of the old main rail yard was turned into a stadium and hosts events and games.



QuoteIn Shoreditch, east London, the idea of building a new park on top of the old railway arches at the Bishopsgate Goods Yard, abandoned since the mid 1960s, is being considered

http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgsl/851-900/856_local_development_framewor/bishopsgate_goods_yard.aspx

The pdf "Chapter 3 – Creating a new and integrated place" makes interesting reading, they are talking about having 1000-2000 new homes and making it a green corridor connecting to the other parks in the area so wildlife can move across the city, there is a picture on pg 14 that shows what that would look like.

-catty 
I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" DEATH thought about it. "CATS," he said eventually, "CATS ARE NICE.

catty

As well as parks using the overhead rail lines or the old rail corridors, there are also plans to go underground as well



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LowLine

:)
I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" DEATH thought about it. "CATS," he said eventually, "CATS ARE NICE.

mike3775

Even not having infrastructure in place, major cities can indeed make a success with those types of things.

My area converted an abandoned rail line into a 40+ mile walking/bike trail, and it goes through some abandoned industrial area's, yet people still use it heavily during the year, and there are plans for that industrial area to be rehabbed/redeveloped, but the fact that the ground has over a hundred years plus worth of industrial pollution makes redevelopment impossible unless a very rich developer pays to have the ground dug up and replaced/cleaned.  They are tearing down many of the buildings slowly, and ripping up the concrete and planting grass in it, but again, the ground needs to be worked on for any real development to occur.

What is impressive about that trail's usage to many though, is the fact that it goes through the heart of Gary Indiana, and if you do not know about Gary Indiana, lets just say that it rivals Detroit when it comes to urban blight.

catty

#7
Quote from: mike3775 on October 15, 2012, 04:32:45 PM
...unless a very rich developer pays to have the ground dug up and replaced/cleaned.  They are tearing down many of the buildings slowly, and ripping up the concrete and planting grass in it, but again, the ground needs to be worked on for any real development to occur...

Digging up the land may not be necessary or expensive

QuoteSome brownfields with heavy metal contamination have even been cleaned up through an innovative approach called phytoremediation, which uses deep-rooted plants to soak up metals in soils into the plant structure as the plant grows. After they reach maturity, the plants – which now contain the heavy metal contaminants in their tissues – are removed and disposed of as hazardous waste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoremediation



http://environmentdefencer.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/grow-sunflower-to-cure-japan%E2%80%99s-atomic-pollution-by-naseemsheikh/

-catty
I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" DEATH thought about it. "CATS," he said eventually, "CATS ARE NICE.

mike3775

Quote from: catty on October 16, 2012, 03:47:00 AM
Quote from: mike3775 on October 15, 2012, 04:32:45 PM
...unless a very rich developer pays to have the ground dug up and replaced/cleaned.  They are tearing down many of the buildings slowly, and ripping up the concrete and planting grass in it, but again, the ground needs to be worked on for any real development to occur...

Digging up the land may not be necessary or expensive

QuoteSome brownfields with heavy metal contamination have even been cleaned up through an innovative approach called phytoremediation, which uses deep-rooted plants to soak up metals in soils into the plant structure as the plant grows. After they reach maturity, the plants – which now contain the heavy metal contaminants in their tissues – are removed and disposed of as hazardous waste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoremediation



http://environmentdefencer.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/grow-sunflower-to-cure-japan%E2%80%99s-atomic-pollution-by-naseemsheikh/

-catty

Other countries are smarter than the US when it comes to those unique idea's though Catty.  Here (especially in my area) the local Govt's still believe in the dig up/replace option only.   I like this idea a lot.  The only downside I see is people wanting to take some of the flowers home  lol

I am forwarding those links to some local elected officials though as a possible idea, thanks for providing them. 

Kitsune

Quote from: catty on October 15, 2012, 01:24:49 PM
You certainly have a point about whether it would work anywhere else, in New Zealand the old rail corridor's are being converted to walking and biking tracks, in Wellington part of the old main rail yard was turned into a stadium and hosts events and games.

-catty

Same thing happened in Toronto... an entire section south of Front St in downtown was railway and industrial... but first the CN Tower was built, and then eventually all the industry disappeared (except for one sugar factory..) along with the railway.. and the area is now being developed fully (with 5+ 65 story condo towers either being built or planned) and even a rumoured 1000 foot tower..
~ NAM Team Member

catty

#10
Quote from: mike3775 on October 16, 2012, 04:31:19 AM
...The only downside I see is people wanting to take some of the flowers home  lol

I am forwarding those links to some local elected officials though as a possible idea, thanks for providing them.

:thumbsup:

Quote from: Kitsune on October 16, 2012, 05:17:36 AM
Same thing happened in Toronto... an entire section south of Front St in downtown was railway and industrial...

Not quite the same thing happened here, the land they build the stadium also contains the Wellington Railway Station they started the main building in 1934 and it was New Zealand's largest building when finished at six stories high and had a combined floor area of two hectares, that doesn't included the railway platforms or the additional buildings they added to the site in 1937



The railway station remains an active station, but now had a supermarket on the ground floor, the additional buildings have been turned into commercial offices and Victoria University has taken over all of the West Wing of the main building, with railway staff continuing to use the East Wing.

-catty
I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" DEATH thought about it. "CATS," he said eventually, "CATS ARE NICE.