High Line Park

New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Project Facts

  • The High Line Park runs more than 20 blocks from Gansevoort to 20th street. The second phase running from 20th street to 30th street will launch in 2010.
  • The High Line is essentially a green roof on top of an elevated railroad track. There are multiple layers within the “living roof,” including a porous drainage layer, gravel, filter fabric, subsoil, and topsoil.
  • Materials used in the High Line were selected based on life-cycle costs. Special concrete designed to last long was used to reduce the waste caused by later replacements.
  • Parts of the High Line use recirculated water. Plans are underway to harvest rainwater from the roofs of nearby buildings.
  • Native, drought-resistant plant species were tailored to the High Line’s micro-climates.
  • Friends of the High Line will employ youths aged 16-21 as part of its “Youth Corps” program. Additionally, the High Line Schools program now offers curriculum guides, which were co-developed with the New York City Laboratory School for Collaborative Studies, for grades two through seven. Class visits to the High Line are also part of the educational program.