James Corner Field Operations, the San Francisco branch of the New York-based firm that designed Manhattan's High Line, was the developer for the project. Image Credit: James Corner Field Operations
Environment USANew Park Atop a Six-Lane Highway Redefines Nature in a City
In San Francisco, the United States, a section of a highway has been reconfigured to add above it a large open space where citizens of all ages can enjoy greeneries and beautiful views, as one of North America’s infrastructure reuse projects.
“Projects in the High Line Network are transforming underutilized areas into equity-focused public spaces that unleash positive economic and social impacts for their communities,” says Asima Jansveld, managing director of the peer-to-peer group of infrastructure reuse.
The Doyle Drive – a six-lane highway destroyed by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in 1989 – was transformed to include two highway tunnels, to allow the creation of a 6-hectare park above it called Presidio Tunnel Tops. Accessible to cyclists and pedestrians, the park is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a collection of parklands covering 295-square kilometers. The Presidio Tunnel Tops has benches made from fallen Presidio cypress trees, open meadows, a huge playground, and an impressive reclaimed oak tree for children to climb on and through. Dozens of infrastructure reuse projects came to life in the last decade across North America, including the Gathering Place in Oklahoma, USA, the Rail Park in Pennsylvania, USA, the Lafitte Greenway in Louisiana, USA, and the Bentway in Toronto, Canada.
