Bringing New Life to Urban Rail Lines

Cities across the country are breathing new life into abandoned and disused inner city rail lines.

1 minute read

August 9, 2011, 2:00 PM PDT

Following on the success of the High Line in New York City, other cities are looking at underused inner city rail lines as opportunities.

"cities around the country, including Chicago, Philadelphia and St. Louis, are working up plans to renovate their aging railroad trestles, tracks and railways for parkland. Cities with little public space are realizing they badly need more parks, and the High Line has taught that renovating an old railway can be the spark that helps improve a neighborhood and attract development.

The High Line's first and second sections cost $153 million, but have generated an estimated $2 billion in new developments. In the five years since construction started on the High Line, 29 new projects have been built or are under way in the neighborhood, according to the New York City Department of City Planning. More than 2,500 new residential units, 1,000 hotel rooms and over 500,000 square feet of office and art gallery space have gone up."

FULL STORY: Cities See the Other Side of the Tracks

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 in The New York Times

Community / Economic Development Government / Politics Infrastructure Land Use Landscape Architecture Transportation United States New York City Chicago St. Louis High Line Rail Lines View More

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