Should Cities Be Looking for Their Own High Line?

At the recent ASLA Conference in San Diego, a panel of noted landscape architects discussed whether New York City's hit park The High Line is a replicable model for other cities.

1 minute read

November 9, 2011, 9:00 AM PST

By Tim Halbur


The panel, also covered by Planetizen earlier in the week, included landscape architects Martha Schwartz, FASLA; Laurie Olin, FASLA; Charles Waldheim, chair of the landscape architecture department at Harvard University; and Maurice Cox, former mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia.

John King, urban design critic at the San Francisco Chronicle, asked the panel if every city should be seeking ways to repurpose their old infrastructure like The High Line does:

"Olin thinks that cities trying to copy the High Line just to bring in tourists will shoot themselves in the foot. 'People need to build cities for themselves. Paris was not built for tourists.' But he said Americans really need to learn to live in dense environments because, in effect, density becomes the key attraction. Waldheim agreed, adding that it should be about 'building communities first.' Cox seemed to offer something similar, arguing that 'every city already has a High Line' - it's usually a 'toxic brownfield site' but the issue is 'finding the uniqueness of that particular place, and using it fuel development.' The High Line was a product of citizen advocacy and action. 'It wasn't Mayor Bloomberg's idea. He opposed it, and didn't see it as a tourist draw. There are thousands of High Lines in America.'"

Much more coverage of the panel over at ASLA's blog, The Dirt.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 in ASLA's The Dirt blog

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight