When something can no longer fulfill its intended purpose, what do we do with it? Usually it gets thrown away (sadly). Recycling is another option, but most of us have been guilty at one time or another of not recycling something because we simply don’t know how, or even that it’s possible.
For instance, can you recycle a tire? Actually, you can. A car? Surprisingly, yes, for the most part. How about a railroad? Surely you can’t recycle a railroad! Well, that’s where it starts to get really interesting.
Not only can you recycle a railroad, but you can do something really amazing with it in the process. Here are three magnificent examples:
The High Line, Bloomingdale Trail, and Promenade plantée
New York
The High Line is a modern gem of New York City. A 1.45-mile-long park created on a former railroad spur on the lower west side of Manhattan, it has become an integral part of the city in a very short time.
The railway viaduct itself closed in 1980 after its use severely declined. After being left abandoned for 26 years, it received a new lease on life. In 2009 it reopened as a unique urban park, and has since been expanded multiple times, with the most recent addition being made available for public access in June of 2019.
Now, the park receives around five million visitors every year, who come to see the naturally-growing plants, take in lovely views of the Hudson River, enjoy art and music installations, or just get above the city noise. The High Line was one of the first such parks in the U.S., and its success has inspired many similar ventures since.
Chicago
Bloomingdale Trail is equally beautiful, its architectural landscape serving as a welcome greenway for pedestrians and cyclists in the neighborhood of Logan Square, Chicago. Built on a disused portion of the Bloomingdale rail line, the park came about largely thanks to a huge effort on the part of the local community.
It’s more than just a single trail, as well; the Bloomingdale is part of a larger project taken on by the community, now known as the 606. The 606 consists of the elevated Bloomingdale Trail as well as six adjacent parks on the street level, all of which combine to create a system of trails for bikers, joggers, and pedestrians. All told, it is an elegant, living celebration of art, history, and design.
Paris
Promenade plantée (French for “tree-lined walkway”) preceded both the High Line and Bloomingdale Trail by nearly two decades and holds the honor of being the first elevated rail line to be converted to green space.
The Promenade is more than just a walkway, though — it’s an extensive green belt that follows the old Vincennes railway line in Paris for a full 2.9 miles. It offers amazing views, cycling paths, and even wheelchair accessibility.
Beyond beautification
These spaces provide more than just a nice view and place to get away without venturing out of the cities that house them. They also create value in the areas around them — not just economically-speaking, but of a personal nature to the residents that live there. Yes, they do tend to fatten the wallets of real estate developers and local property owners, but there’s a deeper cut when it comes to their contribution.
Converted rail lines are representative of a powerful mindset shift that city planners, legislators, and even community members will increasingly need to adopt as our urban population continues to grow. As transportation methods evolve and aging infrastructure loses its functionality, reinventing the old will become an integral part of the future.
Continuing this trend — breaking down the physical and mental barriers of siloed bureaucracy and inside-the-box thinking — may not be a walk in the park, but it will prove both necessary and revitalizing for the future of our cities.
