With travel restrictions requiring quarantines for many out-of-state visitors to New York City, the normal hordes of tourists on New York's High Line will be absent for months to come.
Washington Post columnist Adrian Higgins checks in the with the High Line in New York City, which has been vacated during the pandemic much like it was before its famous adaptive reuse and evolution into a tourism magnet and a controversial symbol of gentrification.
Now, with the city taking tentative steps to reopen and travel restrictions into New York in place, the High Line is likely to evolve again. Higgins writes:
In the interval between limited reopening and a world back to normal, whenever that may be, the High Line will become something closer to its original idea, a quirky postindustrial gift to the West Side. It may become for New Yorkers what the cultural treasures of Florence and Venice are now for their citizens: havens devoid of the hordes of out-of-towners.
According to Higgins, the Friends of the High Line is actively discussing how to implement and enforce social distancing on the eight-foot wide path, but no decisions have been made yet. It also "may take years for New York to return to the level of tourism — some 65 million visitors a year — it attained before the coronavirus crisis," according to Higgins.
FULL STORY: The High Line has been sidelined. When it reopens, New Yorkers may get the park they always wanted.
Debating the Legacy of the High Line
A new debate has emerged, starting from a source very close to the project, about the effects of the High Line in New York City.
Manhattan’s Population Is on the Rebound
After the ‘urban exodus’ brought on by the pandemic, most of New York City’s boroughs are regaining their population.
Winter Is Coming—Capitalize on It
Outdoor dining programs have provided relief for local restaurants and retailers, while offering an oasis of social life for residents. The winter months will challenge that momentum, but creative, flexible approaches can save the day again.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.
Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.
Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont