The High Line, NYC
A Walk Above the City
Back in October 2018, I finally visited the High Line in New York. I’d heard so much about it, seen it in a million photos, but being there was something else. It’s this long, elevated park that stretches about 1.45 mile (2.33 km) through Manhattan’s West Side – from the Jacob Javits Convention Center all the way down to Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District.
The story behind the high line
It’s built on an old railway line. The kind of elevated rail that used to run through city blocks in the 1930s, part of something called the West Side Improvement Project. At the time, it was a safety fix – keeping freight trains off the streets after too many accidents near the docks. But like a lot of urban infrastructure, the High Line was slowly abandoned. By 1980, the trains had stopped completely. The city started tearing parts of it down in the ‘60s, and by the late ‘90s, the whole thing was basically a ghost.
But here’s the cool part – this is where design, activism, and community collide in the best way. A group called Friends of the High Line formed in 1999 and convinced the city not to demolish what was left. Instead, they pushed for a full transformation.
The reimagine
Diller + Scofidio + Renfro, along with landscape architects Field Operations, artist Olafur Eliasson, and a handful of others came together to reimagine it. What they created is a kind of architectural collage – wild plants growing through old steel tracks, sleek benches and paths blending with native vegetation, framed views of Manhattan popping up between buildings. It feels alive and raw, but also beautifully considered.
They call it a postindustrial instrument of leisure. That sounds fancy, but really – it just works. It’s a public space that lets people move slowly in a city built for speed. You can sit. You can watch. You can breathe. And you don’t have to pay a cent. That’s maybe my favorite part.
As an architect, I love projects like this. You’re not erasing the past – you’re adapting it. Reusing the structure, honoring the layers, but letting it grow into something new. It’s clever, it’s sustainable, and honestly, it’s just stunning.
If you’re ever in NYC, walk the High Line. Take your time. Trust me.