Organizers Pushing Philly High Line

Community organizers in Philadelphia are leading an effort to convert a disused elevated railway into a park.

1 minute read

August 30, 2011, 12:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


"'We have all these beautiful urban views, and yet you feel like you're in a country meadow,' said Hamilton Street resident Sarah McEneaney, 55, who has been lobbying, along with John Struble, for nearly a decade to transform the viaduct into an elevated public park with spectacular, panoramic skyline views.

'It immediately transports you from a bustling urban environment to one much more quiet with a lot of birds and a lot of plants.'

Now, after eight years of prodding, McEneaney, a painter, and Struble, a furniture maker, have succeeded in getting city officials and other prominent Philadelphians on board with the viaduct park idea."

The viaduct would be a similar space to revitalize into a park, like the High Line in New York City.

Monday, August 29, 2011 in The Philadelphia Daily News

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